“Unacceptable”
TV channel apologizes for F1 comment
November 13, 2025 – 1:27 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Franz Tost was a guest commentator for ORF at the Brazilian Grand Prix. He said a sentence that was not well received by some viewers.
After a controversial comment at the Formula 1 race in São Paulo, the Austrian broadcaster ORF apologized for Franz Tost’s choice of words. As a co-commentator, the former Alpha Tauri team boss made a statement about the family of Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto that sparked criticism.
During the race, Bortoleto crashed into the barrier. The reactions of his mother and his girlfriend were then shown in the live broadcast. Tost said at that moment: “He’s in the learning phase. The moms don’t have to look so stupid, that’s completely normal.”
Bortoleto had already had an accident in the sprint race on Saturday. The home weekend was disappointing for the rookie.
In a statement, the ORF said: During the “hectic starting phase” of the race, “unfortunately an unacceptable statement was made, for which we would like to sincerely apologize.” The choice of words was “completely inappropriate”.
The public broadcaster announced that it wanted to prevent such incidents in the future. The ORF left it open whether Tost would be used as a co-commentator again. At the weekend, Tost represented Alexander Wurz, who is otherwise a regular expert for the station.