Arrow McLaren Cuts Ties With Juncos Over Handling Of Online Abuse

Source: Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment / other

INDIANAPOLIS — In the last week Arrow McLaren driver Theo Pourchaire, and the team in general for that matter, has been on the receiving end of a lot of online hate from fans of Agustin Canapino and Junco Hollinger Racing.

The abuse stems from a minor collision between Pourchaire and Canapino during the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

“This decision follows actions that occurred earlier this week on social media in regards to an on-track incident at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix,” Arrow McLaren said. “As reflected in the team’s social media community code, Arrow McLaren will not tolerate any form of abuse or discrimination and totally condemns the online abuse directed toward our team and driver.”

The incident sent Argentinian fans of Canapino into a frenzy, with some people going as far as posting death threats against Pourchaire on X and other forms of social media.

“I’m sad I received so much hate and death threats in the last 24 hours for such a small incident in the Detroit GP,” Pourchaire said in a post on X. “I hope people can understand that we are all humans and we can make mistakes. But it’s not normal to abuse people online.”

The response from Canapino and Juncoes Hollinger Racing has been… lacking, to put it gently.

Canapino released a statement earlier in the week in which he said “Of course, I am against abuse and hate” but then went on to say “I have not seen a single death threat.” Finally, he said, “I constantly receive abuse and hate, and I have learned to live with it as many people do, by choosing to ignore it.”

The response from Canapino was not well received among those in the IndyCar community, especially since Canapino had liked several abusive posts against Pourchaire after the race in Detroit.

“We have seen an increase in abuse towards our competitors,” Juncos Hollinger said in a statement. “At Juncos Hollinger Racing, abuse, hatred, and harassment are unacceptable. It’s not tolerated … and is not representative of who we are as a team.”

This is the second time Juncos Hollinger has been caught up in a scandal regarding online abuse from fans of Canapino’s in Argentina. Last season, Callum Ilott, who was Canapino’s teammate at Juncos, received a ton of abuse and threats online. These mainly stemmed from an on-track incident between Canapino and Ilott at Long Beach in April of 2023.

The post Arrow McLaren Cuts Ties With Juncos Over Handling Of Online Abuse appeared first on WIBC 93.1 FM .