Things are getting pretty weird surrounding Franco Colapinto

It has always been fairly clear that the Formula 1 career of Franco Colapinto is driven by surrounding financial interests. If someone keeps getting personally escorted into F1 cars in place of drivers who are at worst equally talented, that’s simply the reasonable conclusion to draw. But the absurdity of going racing that way is becoming ever clearer in this case.

Argentina’s plan for a new grand prix — presumably what this is all ultimately about — is getting pretty real, and Franco will be doing one of those vintage F1 street drifting shows in Buenos Aires in April to hype it up. These moneyed interests would prefer Colapinto not get involved in things like the Suzuka incident while all this is going on, not with the way Argentine sports fans are. Too late, though. Now Alpine has to post unhinged 1,200-word social media statements promising they aren’t sabotaging Franco’s car.