Lando Norris has openly called for Franco Colapinto to be suspended for at least one race after the Argentine driver’s mis‑calculated move at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix eliminated both Alpine cars and Norris’s McLaren. The incident unfolded on lap 36, when the field was restarting behind the safety car.
Colapinto entered the first corner too fast, mis‑judged his braking point and ploughed into the side of his teammate Pierre Gasly. The impact sent Gasly’s Alpine into the outside of Norris’s McLaren, spinning the Briton into the barriers and ending the race for all three drivers.
At the moment of the crash Gasly was running seventh, Norris eighth and Colapinto tenth, meaning all three were in the points before the mistake. Norris, visibly irritated, said, “At the end of the day, I just got taken out.
Just some drivers that shouldn’t be in Formula 1, to be honest.” He later added to the written press, “I haven’t seen a case like this before, but if you cause a crash on a restart you deserve at least a one‑race ban. The FIA needs to be tougher and start handing out penalties for this sort of behaviour.” Colapinto immediately expressed remorse on team radio and in post‑race interviews, describing the incident as a “big mistake”. He said, “I’m really sorry to Pierre, to the whole Alpine team and to Lando.
It was cold brakes, cold tyres, I locked up and lost control. I took Pierre out and Lando as well – a huge apology to both of them.” The stewards handed Colapinto a ten‑second time penalty for causing the collision. Because he retired from the race and could not serve the penalty on track, the sanction was converted into a five‑place grid drop for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Under the FIA’s penalty‑point system, a driver is banned for a race after accumulating twelve points on his super licence over a rolling twelve‑month period.
Colapinto currently sits on four points and received no additional points for the Azerbaijan incident, meaning the grid penalty is his only immediate repercussion. Norris labelled Colapinto’s driving as “just careless” and unfit for the sport. “It costs a lot of money – all my parts are in the bin now,” he said.
“In Formula 1 you are expected to anticipate low grip and cold tyre temperatures. When you see a mistake like this, it makes you wonder if the driver belongs in the series.” The crash also compounded Norris’s already difficult weekend. He has been battling straight‑line speed deficiencies with his McLaren, and earlier in the race he had already been forced wide at the first turn, dropping behind Gasly.
For Alpine, the incident was a major blow to a promising points‑scoring run. Gasly had been on course for a seventh‑place finish, which would have matched his second‑best result of the season and helped Alpine close the nine‑point gap to Racing Bulls in the Constructors’ Championship.
Instead, both Alpine cars retired, and the team now trails Racing Bulls by fifteen points after Arvid Lindblad’s late surge secured seventh place for the Swedish driver. Gasly, speaking to Sky Sports F1, admitted he was “almost lost for words”. He praised the team’s performance over the weekend, noting the car’s pace allowed him to stay with the front‑runners for much of the race.
“We had a great weekend, one of the best cars we’ve had this year, and we were keeping up with Lewis and Lando for most of the race,” he said. “It’s hard to process the outcome – we were in the points, then we got outscored by Racing Bulls. Not an ideal day, but we’ll move on and try to make up the lost ground before the season ends.” The aftermath of the crash also sparked a wave of online abuse aimed at Gasly and his family, prompting the French driver to condemn the “completely inappropriate” social‑media attacks. Alpine and Colapinto have repeatedly spoken out against the harassment directed at drivers by some Argentine fans, emphasizing that such behaviour is unacceptable.
Looking ahead, both Colapinto and Gasly have secured their seats with Alpine for the next season. When asked whether the partnership could survive the fallout, Gasly stressed the importance of mutual respect: “It’s all about respect.
As long as there is respect, everything is possible.” Colapinto echoed the sentiment, saying, “We get on well. Since we first worked together we have had a good relationship, so we need to move forward.” The Formula 1 calendar now turns to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, where the Bahrain Grand Prix will be staged for the first time since 2017.
Fans can watch live coverage on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available through NOW without a long‑term contract. The incident in Baku serves as a stark reminder that driver error can have far‑reaching consequences, not only for individual championships but also for team morale, sponsor relationships, and the overall safety culture within the sport.
Norris’s call for a stricter punitive approach may fuel debate within the FIA about whether the existing penalty‑point system is sufficient, or whether more immediate race bans should be introduced for reckless restarts that endanger multiple competitors.