RTBF suspends Lionel Froissart

Shock statement, shock measure. The sentence did not go unnoticed. On the sidelines of the Austrian Grand Prix, Lionel Froissart, who was commentating with Gaëtan Vigneron on F1TV, whose images are broadcasted on RTBF, was insulting towards Lance Stroll.

During the race, the journalist insulted the Canadian during a discussion about Aston Martin and the team’s desire to keep Sebastian Vettel. It was at that moment that the commentator said, “No, but it’s not Lance Stroll, the autistic one, who will help them…” Embarrassed by his colleague’s remarks, Gaëtan Vigneron apologizes, but Lionel Froissart insists and confirms his statements.

The images removed

Shortly after, social media went into a frenzy and the French expert in motorsports apologized through a message. Obviously, taking the term “autistic” literally doesn’t make sense. Sorry for that! And I invite you to meet Lance Stroll to appreciate his personality.

However, the apologies did not convince since his employer decided to suspend him. « RTBF strongly condemns the remarks made on Sunday, July 10th, on air by its consultant Lionel Froissart during the Austrian Grand Prix. Associating autism with a pilot’s way of communicating was inappropriate and in complete contradiction with RTBF’s values », indicates a statement from the channel.

An internal investigation will be conducted to hear from all the people involved. The objective is to understand in detail what could have led to this incident. Pending the results of this investigation, RTBF will no longer work with the consultant in question until further notice.

The images where Lionel Froissart shows himself being insulting towards Lance Stroll have been deleted from the platform.