RIYADH: FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem renewed his call for an end to the online abuse of race stewards ahead of this weekend's Formula One Italian Grand Prix at Monza, after the governing body said officials were targeted following the Dutch Grand Prix. At Zandvoort, Franco Colapinto was handed a drive-through penalty alongside two penalty points for overtaking Yuki Tsunoda on the opening lap under yellow flags — triggered by Max Verstappen's crash at the final corner. He was later given an additional penalty point for not slowing under yellow flags. Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad was handed the same punishment as Colapinto for overtaking Pierre Gasly under yellow flags on the opening lap. In post-race media interviews, Lindblad said he felt the penalty was "quite extreme." But it was a heavy-handed social media post from Mercado Libre's chief marketing officer Sean Summers that triggered a response from the FIA. Summers claimed the stewards were "killing the integrity of F1." He continued: "This season they are proving to be horrible and impacting race results. Incompetence? Dishonesty? Both? Something is seriously broken in that organization's culture." The post has since been deleted. The FIA said stewards had also received abusive threats online, while Alpine's own social media accounts were targeted by fans who felt the team had not backed Colapinto strongly enough. Ben Sulayem had previously launched the United Against Online Abuse campaign in 2023, a global initiative dedicated to combating online abuse in sport through research, policy advocacy and collaborative action. "The UAOA coalition condemns all forms of abuse and harassment. Disagreement with decisions is part of sport, but it must never justify threats or personal attacks," Ben Sulayem said in a statement. Ben Sulayem, who will attend Monza, said the venue "characterizes all that is best in F1," with the atmosphere heightened by a tight title picture — Italy's Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers' standings, while Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remain in contention for race and championship podium finishes. "The vast majority of fans have only good things to say about the sport, and all those who make it happen," he said. The Monza visit follows a diplomatic swing through South America, where Ben Sulayem met Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast in Santiago — Kast became the latest world leader to sign the UAOA charter — before talks with Paraguay's President Santiago Pena during the country's round of the FIA World Rally Championship, and a stop in Buenos Aires for the FIA's American Congress with representatives from 32 member clubs across the Americas and the Caribbean. "We urge everyone engaging with our sport to do so with respect and responsibility, online and offline," Ben Sulayem said.