Lionel Froissart is a French sports journalist and has been covering Formula One for almost thirty years
Lionel Froissart has been suspended for his comments on Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll. Froissart was quoted calling the Canadian driver ‘Autistic’ during the Austrian Grand Prix. Froissart was working for the Belgian French-language network RTBF Sport as a part of their Austrian GP coverage when he made those comments.
The F1 commentator was heard saying, Aston Martin “want to keep Vettel, it’s not Lance Stroll the autistic who is going to understand anything about cars”. Froissart was called out by his fellow commentator Gaetan Vigneron who considered the remark “too strong” and that he “went too far”, but Froissart doubled down and replied, “Honestly, that is the truth.”
RTBF Sport network released a statement addressing the incident and condemned Froissart’s actions. “RTBF strongly condemns the words used on Sunday, July 10, on air by its consultant Lionel Froissart during the Austrian Grand Prix. Associating autism with a driver’s way of communicating was misplaced and completely inconsistent with RTBF values“, read the statement.
F1 drivers have been subjected to racial and verbal abuse over the last few weeks
In the last few weeks, the treatment of drivers has been making headlines, starting from Red Bull driver Max Verstappen receiving ‘boos’ and ‘hate’ during the British Grand Prix in Silverstone to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was subjected to abuse at the Red Bull ring in the Austrian GP.
There were disturbing reports of sexism, racism, homophobia, and other abusive behavior by fans during the Austria Grand Prix weekend.
F1 plans to hold talks with the promoters of the Spielberg race and released a statement: In an official statement, F1 stated – “We have raised this with the promoter and security and will be speaking to those who have reported these incidents and are taking this very seriously. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated and all fans should be treated with respect.”
More Formula One News
- Lewis Hamilton doesn’t support IOC’s decision on Black Lives Matter gear during Olympics
- Max Verstappen left surprised as he reaches 100 race milestone with Red Bull
- Damon Hill left in awe after Lewis Hamilton racks up 100 poles in F1 ahead of 2021 Spanish GP
Follow our dedicated Formula One page for instant Formula One news and updates
