British racing driver competing in the NTT IndyCar Series for Juncos Hollinger Racing Callum Ilott, a former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and runner-up to Mick Schumacher in the 2020 Formula 2 Championship, was recently involved in a miscommunication with his teammate during the latest IndyCar race in Long Beach and sarcastically said he was “impressed” by the many death threats he has received following the incident.
Argentine racing driver Agustín Canapino, the current Juncos Hollinger Racing team-mate of the ex-Ferrari junior, was somewhat unexpectedly leading the race on the streets of Long Beach, California, while an out-of-sync strategy led to Callum Ilott coming out of the pits and unintentionally holding up his team-mate.
The cars behind took advantage of the moment and were able to overtake Agustín Canapino, who therefore lost P1 and even hit the barriers as he was defending against Helio Castroneves, having to retire from the race.
Agustín Canapino has brought a large following of fans with him from his native Argentina, which quickly took to social media to hurl abuse the former Ferrari junior, considering him responsible for the unfortunate outcome of Agustín Canapino’s race.
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Callum Ilott sarcastically replied: “Genuinely impressed by the amount of death threats and abuse I’ve received. Definitely a new record by far, really appreciate the effort to help me learn all these new Spanish words.”
The British racing driver then hit out at Argentine commentator Martin Ponte, pointing out that “a certain level of professionalism is needed when you hold a microphone that sends a message to 100k+ people. I suggest you think about the message you want to send to people. I suggest you educate yourself on IndyCar racing and commentating to a better standard. Be kind please.”
The next day, the ex-Ferrari junior followed that post up with more details regarding the moment and thanked fans for their support.
“On another note, it’s an important reminder to all new and old fans/people. Respect goes both ways. Although I have thick skin and am used to this behaviour occasionally. One day it will go too far to someone who can’t deal with it as well as others. It’s unacceptable on any level and those who encourage it should have a real think about the consequences of their actions. But I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, it means a lot.”
Following the unacceptable online abuse after the Long Beach race, IndyCar has issues and official statement, condemning in no uncertain terms the fans’ reaction on social media: “Over the last 24 hours, some of our drivers have been the target of disrespectful and inappropriate online abuse. There is no place for this behaviour in our sport. While fierce competition and rivalry will always be a mainstay of IndyCar racing, it’s important to showcase and celebrate these attributes with ultimate respect and concern for the well-being of our competitors. IndyCar is a community that should always strive to build upward with support and appreciation for one another.”
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