Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok has angered fans on Twitter after he dismissed the idea of taking part in a virtual Emilia Romagna Grand Prix following the cancellation of the real event over deadly flooding in the region.
Chandhok responded to a thread created by motorsport analyst Vincenzo Landino which had called for the virtual race to be held to raise money for people affected by the devasting floods.
The pundit and former Formula E driver rejected the idea of taking part, suggesting that, instead, he will be spending the time away from the track with his family.
“With the GP canceled this weekend, I would love to see @F1 get the drivers together for a virtual Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with proceeds going to help the local area,” Landino’s post read.
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“Partner with @Twitch, have all 20 drivers compete, and race Imola with old V10 cars. Sell tickets for $20.”
Another user, Dr Obbs, who co-hosts the Tech Heads F1 podcast, added that Sky Sports F1 could cover the virtual event, tagging Chandhok, David Croft, Natalie Pinkham, Bernie Collins and Martin Brundle.
Chandhok was clearly not keen on the idea, writing in a now-deleted post “Or we could have a weekend off and remind our children we exist?”
The response was deemed insensitive by fans, with the flooding having left 15,000 displaced and over 5 people dead.
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“I feel like this is really insensitive as a response Karun. When your friend or neighbour is in trouble, you help. Especially given this is a region that has done so much for F1 over the years. It’s an opportunity for compassion using the enormous resources of F1…,” one wrote.
“Clearly @karunchandhok isn’t one for helping others in a time of tragedy, blown my mind that he’d tweet this. If he was supposed to be commentating then he’d be away from home anyway, so what’s the issue?” another added.
Formula 1 next heads to the iconic street circuit of Monaco, with wet weather currently forecast for the event, the race could be an action-packed event.