Agustin Canapino will step down from his seat at Juncos Hollinger for this weekend’s IndyCar race following the row over comments he made on social media.
It follows McLaren’s announcement yesterday they had terminated their partnership with Canapino’s team due to “actions that occurred earlier this week on social media” following the collision between the driver and Theo Pourchaire. The two teams formed their alliance eight months earlier.
Juncos Hollinger said in a statement today Canapino is “taking a leave of absence” this weekend. Nolan Siegel will drive his car in Road America.
“The growth of online abuse and harassment resulting from the events of this week have led to a very difficult experience for Agustin, the team and the entire IndyCar fan base, and the safety of Agustin and the rest of the competitors has to be considered first and foremost,” said the team.
“Abuse, hatred, and harassment in any form is a detriment to this sport, and we must prioritize the mental and physical wellbeing of both our drivers and our competition.”
Canapino, the team mate of former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean, impressed on his debut in IndyCar last year. However his vociferous fanbase have been accused of abusing drivers he has been involved in incidents with.
Pourchaire said he was the subject of death threats after he collided with Canapino during last weekend’s race in Detroit. In response, Canapino criticised those who attacked Pourchaire but also cast doubt on whether he had received death threats and suggested his rival should have ignored those who abused him. Canapino was also accused of endorsing some abusive messages sent to Pourchaire.
Juncos Hollinger co-owner Brad Hollinger said “online abuse is unacceptable and we need to ensure that our drivers are prepared both mentally and physically when they get in the car.”
“We are saddened by the events that led to this scenario,” he added.
The team added it is “working directly with IndyCar to create a better community for our fans, drivers and team members, uniting to make IndyCar a welcome sport for all.” It has not indicated whether Canapino will return for the next race at Laguna Seca in two weeks’ time.
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