The F1 community is not without controversies and a new one arose in July, 2022 when Lionel Froissart, a commentator called an Aston Martin driver ‘autistic’ Live on air. The incident happened during the Austrian GP, where Lance Stroll, who was the victim of the remark, finished at the 13th place ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Commentators are known to often make harsh remarks on sporting personalities on air during events. However, Froissart’s remark did not sit well with the moto enthusiasts, who were displeased with the Frenchman and his choice of words.

As a result, the Belgian channel, RTBF Sport, where the incident happened, has suspended the commentator with immediate effect pending an investigation into the affair.

Also Read: Why F1 commentator Lionel Froissart has been suspended

Let’s find out who Lionel Froissart is and how he managed to rattle an entire sporting community.

Born on June 17, 1958, in Paris, Froissart is a well-known name in the motor sports and tennis communities. He came to limelight during his time with Libération, a daily newspaper in France, where he worked for 30 years specialising in the aforementioned sports. The 64-year-old is also a famed author, known for his work in the biography of Ayrton Senna, which was published in 2004. He has been working as a commentator off late, which however, might just have come to an end following his remarks on Canadian driver Lance Stroll.

During the Austrian GP, which was organised between July 8-10, Froissart termed Stroll as “the autistic.” Co-commentator Gaetan Vigneron quickly protested against the remark by the 64-year-old, saying, “That’s too strong. You’re going too far.” 

However, Froissart did not back down as he went on to defend his controversial remark to Vigneron, adding, “Honestly, this is the truth.”

RTBF, the Belgian-French language network, has gone on to release a statement condemning Lionel Froissart for his remark and announcing an investigation into the matter.

“RTBF strongly condemns the words used on Sunday, July 10, on air by its consultant Lionel Froissart during the Austrian Grand Prix,” it said.

Also Read: Austrian GP champ Charles Leclerc glad to ‘finally have a normal race on my side’

“Associating autism with a driver’s way of communicating was misplaced and completely inconsistent with RTBF values. An internal investigation will be conducted, to hear all the involved persons,” the company added.

RTBF has also announced that the company will not work with Froissart, who is a consultant with the company, until further notice.

“Pending the results of this investigation, RTBF will no longer work with the consultant in question until further notice,” they said.