Alpine condemn 'hateful and toxic comments' following Alonso and Ocon's clash

Saturday wasn't a great day for Alpine, as Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon clashed on the track and as penalties meant the two drivers will start 17th and 18th for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.

But, Alpine are also concerned about the comments shared online, underneath several of the team's posts.

Fans of the two drivers clashed on social media, directing insults at each other and at the Spanish and French racers.

In response, Alpine shared a strong statement in the hours ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The full Alpine statement

"Whatever happens on track, there is absolutely no excuse for hateful comments, abuse or toxicity to be directed towards our drivers, team , fans or indeed anybody online," the statement started.

"Of all of the comments that we received across our social media channels during and after today's Sprint qualifying, we received 882 toxic comments, 162 of which were severely toxic. This is wholly unacceptable.

"What we have seen today is, unfortunately, not an isolated incident. We continue to see hate and discrimination online, and as a team, will not tolerate this.

"We will take action against individuals or groups who produce or disseminate social media posts that contain or encourage online abuse of our drivers, team , and fans."