Jeremy Clarkson came to Austin as a guest of Alpine. He left at the center of a controversy that wasn't on the agenda. Interviewed by Sky Sports before qualifying, the former Top Gear presenter joked about Franco Colapinto's penalty, linking it to his Argentinian nationality. Moments later, when asked about Kim Kardashian's interview with Martin Brundle in Singapore, he curtly dismissed the topic. Two incidents in the same interview, and Alpine was forced to publicly reiterate that its guest was not speaking on behalf of the team.
Alpine disavows Clarkson and supports its driver
On Colapinto 's penalty , Clarkson said:
"Franco has a grid penalty because he's Argentinian. Probably. I'd give him one for that."
The joke was intended to be humorous, but it turns the driver's origin into a reason for the penalty. And the real reason for this penalty is known: Colapinto received a ten-place grid penalty for using a fourth electronic control unit, exceeding the permitted quota.
Alpine needs to remind people of its values
The outburst is all the more embarrassing coming from a guest of the team. Alpine quickly released a statement, without naming Clarkson . The team clarified that the comments made during an interview in Austin were a personal opinion and did not reflect its values of goodwill and respect. It added that Colapinto is its driver and has its " full support." The measured wording and clear message: the team distances itself from the joke and protects its representative.
Colapinto 's manager , Jamie Campbell-Walter , didn't mince words. He called the comments " unacceptable ," stating that such remarks have no place in Formula 1 , even if presented as a joke. This reaction comes in a broader context: Colapinto had already denounced the hateful messages sent to his mechanics, his engineer, and other team members. The driver explained that these attacks had " crossed a line ." It's difficult, therefore, to simply shrug off a public jab targeting his national identity.
Clarkson 's history with Argentina also gives the sequence a particular background. In 2014, the filming of a Top Gear episode in Patagonia turned into a controversy after the license plate of a car driven by Clarkson was interpreted by some as a reference to the 1982 Falklands War. Clarkson himself linked his current joke to what happened during that visit. This sheds light on the context of his remark, but doesn't establish a specific intention behind it.
Kardashian? "I'm here for Formula 1."
The interview didn't end in Colapinto . Simon Lazenby asked Clarkson if his heart had melted when Brundle finally managed to interview Kim Kardashian in Singapore, after their failed attempt in Monaco. His response, in essence: he didn't watch and wasn't interested in Kardashian.
He added: " I'm here to watch Formula 1, not Kim Kardashian ."
On this second point, Clarkson is therefore less concerned with the penalty itself than with what he considers an excessive media culture. He explains that he prefers to talk about the race and the drivers rather than the celebrities on the grid. The remark has its irony: he criticizes the cameras focused on a star, while simultaneously becoming the subject of a widely shared video. As for Kardashian , she eventually spoke with Brundle in Singapore after the awkward moment in Monaco; Clarkson , however, says he didn't watch that encounter.
Alpine thus finds itself managing two controversies stemming from a single interview: a joke about its driver's nationality and a comment criticizing the role of celebrities in the F1 spectacle. The first forced the team to issue a statement of support; the second reignited the debate about what the paddock chooses to film. Clarkson was invited by Alpine, but the question remains: can the team host a celebrity without later having to disavow their remarks?
💀 JEREMY CLARKSON'DAN COLAPINTO HAKKINDA SKANDAL DEMEÇ!
Jeremy Clarkson, the motor of Franco Colapinto'n a grid is here; 'Muhtemelen Arjantinli olduğu için grid cezası aldı. Ben de sırf bu yüzden ona ceza verirdim.' şeklinde konuştu. pic.twitter.com/0dDIqKNg7R
— Formula Türkiye 🇹🇷 (@FormulaTurkiye) October 25, 2026
😂 Clarkson was absolutely FUMING on Sky Sports when they asked about the infamous Kim Kardashian snub of Martin Brundle and the “make up” interview in Singapore.
“Did your heart melt when he made up with Kim Kardashian?”
It's fair to say Clarkson could not care less about Kim…
— J Stewart (@triffic_stuff_) October 25, 2026
