Lando Norris has openly called for Franco Colapinto to be suspended for at least one race after the Argentine driver’s mistake eliminated both Alpine cars and Norris’s McLaren from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The incident occurred on lap 36, during the first safety‑car restart. Colapinto entered turn one too fast, mis‑judged his braking point and slid sideways into the side of his teammate Pierre Gasly.
The impact forced Gasly’s Alpine into the path of Norris’s McLaren, sending Norris spinning into the barriers and ending his race. All three drivers retired with serious damage to their machines. At the moment of the crash Gasly was running seventh, Norris eighth and Colapinto tenth, meaning the three were all in the points before the collision. Norris, visibly frustrated, told the press: “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 that the FIA should be tougher on repeat offenders and that a driver who causes a restart‑phase accident deserves at least a one‑race ban. “I’ve not seen it, but if you cause a crash in a restart like this, you should have at least a one‑race ban,” the British driver said. “The FIA needs to start handing out bans for this kind of thing.” Colapinto, for his part, was quick to apologise on team radio and in post‑race interviews.
He described the incident as a "big mistake" and expressed remorse to both his team and to Pierre. “A big, big sorry to Pierre, to everyone in the factory that has been working really hard. We were both in the points, so it is very sad and disappointing,” he said. He blamed cold brakes, cold tyres and a lock‑up for the loss of control, acknowledging that his error also took out Lando.
"Unfortunately I also took Pierre out and Lando of course, but big sorry to both of them," he added. The stewards handed Colapinto a ten‑second time penalty for causing the collision.
Because he had already retired, the penalty was converted into a five‑place grid drop for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Under the sport’s super‑licence points system, a driver is banned for a race after accumulating twelve penalty points over a rolling twelve‑month period. Colapinto currently sits on four points and did not receive any additional points for the Azerbaijan incident, meaning the grid penalty is the only immediate sanction. Norris characterised Colapinto’s driving as "just careless" and unfit for the top tier of motorsport.
"It costs a lot of money, all my parts are in the bin now," he lamented. "It is not driving that deserves to be in Formula 1. In Formula 1 you would expect that drivers can anticipate low grip and cold tyre temperatures.
You want to be competing against the best drivers, and when stuff like this happens it is because, yeah, they shouldn’t be there." Norris also noted that his weekend had already been difficult because of straight‑line speed deficiencies in his McLaren, which had forced him to drop behind Gasly earlier in the race after running wide at the first corner. Gasly, who had been on course for his second‑best finish of the season, expressed disappointment as well. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said, "It’s not easy.
We had a very good weekend and it was one of the best race cars we’ve had this season. The pace was great, keeping up with Lewis and Lando for most of the race and we had a 14‑ or 15‑second gap to the midfield.
So I think there are a lot of positives to take away, but I’m still struggling to process the outcome and the fact we had both cars in the points and in the end we got outscored by Racing Bulls by a lot of points. Not an ideal day but I’m sure we are going to move on from it.
Unfortunately, we have lost out today; hopefully we can make it up by the end of the year." The crash also sparked a wave of online abuse directed at Gasly and his family, prompting both Alpine drivers to condemn the behaviour. Colapinto and Gasly, who are both confirmed to remain with Alpine for the next season, stressed that respect is essential for any partnership to work. "Respect.
It’s all about respect. As long as there is respect, everything is possible," Gasly said when asked about his relationship with Colapinto.
Colapinto echoed the sentiment, noting, "We are good. We have always been quite good together. Since we worked together for the first time, we got on very well so we need to move on." Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar moves to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia for the first time since 2017, where the Bahrain Grand Prix will be staged.
Fans can watch live coverage on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW for those who prefer a contract‑free option. The incident in Baku serves as a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in motorsport and has reignited the debate over whether stricter penalties are needed to deter reckless driving at the highest level of racing.