Canapino returning to complete IndyCar season after social media row

Agustin Canapino will complete the rest of the IndyCar season with Juncos Hollinger, the team has announced, having sat out last weekend’s race.

The driver pulled out of the event shortly before practice began amid criticism of his handling of a social media row involving his supporters and McLaren’s Theo Pourchaire following their collision in the previous round at Detroit. After Canapino cast doubt on Pourchaire’s claims he received death threats, McLaren ended its strategic alliance with Juncos Hollinger.

Canapino chose not to race in Road America as his team said “the growth of online abuse and harassment resulting from the events of this week have led to a very difficult experience for Agustin” and “we must prioritise the mental and physical wellbeing of both our drivers and our competition.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Juncos Hollinger confirmed Canapino will be back in the car at Laguna Seca next week and see out the rest of season after Nolan Siegel took his place last week.

Speaking in a video released on social media, Canapino said he is “doing well in Indianapolis” following what was described as his “leave of absence” from the previous race.

“This past Friday, the team understood that I needed a break and decided it would be best not to race that weekend at Road America. They felt it was not appropriate for me to get in an IndyCar given the unexpected situation I was experiencing and the stress that was affecting me in an unusual context.”

He said he is “extremely grateful” to team owners Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger “for wanting to take care of me.”

“I will reiterate, as I clearly stated before, to all fans around the world, that we need to be aware of the damage that an insult or aggression on social media can cause, regardless of where it comes from,” he added.

“I insist that we learn and work together to build a better community.”

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