Lando Norris has openly called for a race suspension for Franco Colapinto following the incident that eliminated both him and Pierre Gasly from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The controversy erupted during the first safety‑car restart on lap 36 when Colapinto mis‑calculated his braking point into Turn 1.
Carrying excess speed, he clipped the side of his Alpine teammate Gasly, sending Gasly’s car into the outside of Norris’s McLaren. The chain reaction forced Norris into the barriers, while both Alpine cars sustained sufficient damage to retire from the race.
At the moment of the crash, Gasly was running seventh, Norris eighth, and Colapinto tenth. Visibly frustrated, Norris told reporters, “In the end, I was just taken out. There are some drivers who really shouldn’t be in Formula 1, to be honest.” He added that, although he had not seen the incident himself, any driver who causes a restart‑phase collision should face at least a one‑race ban.
“The FIA needs to be stricter and start handing out bans for this sort of thing,” the reigning world champion insisted. Colapinto, for his part, issued an immediate apology over the team radio and later in post‑race interviews, describing the episode as a "big mistake." He said, “I’m very sorry to Pierre, to the whole factory, and to everyone who worked hard this weekend. We were both in the points and it’s incredibly disappointing.” He explained that cold brakes, cold tyres and a locked‑up wheel left him out of control, leading to the collision that also took Lando out of the race. The stewards handed Colapinto a ten‑second time penalty for causing the crash.
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 penalty‑point system, drivers receive a race ban after accumulating twelve points on their super licence within a rolling twelve‑month period. Colapinto currently sits on four points, and no additional points were added for the Azerbaijan incident, aside from the grid penalty.
Norris characterised Colapinto’s driving as "careless" and unfit for the pinnacle of motorsport. He lamented the financial impact, noting that many of his car’s components were now written off. “In Formula 1 you expect drivers to anticipate low grip and cold tyre conditions,” Norris said.
“When mistakes like this happen, it suggests the driver shouldn’t be there.” The British driver also highlighted that his weekend had already been difficult due to straight‑line speed deficiencies in his McLaren. He had dropped behind Gasly earlier in the race after running wide at the first corner. Gasly, meanwhile, had been on course for his second‑best finish of the season, sitting seventh before the incident. Alpine had been poised to close the nine‑point gap to the Racing Bulls team in the Constructors’ Championship, but the crash left them fifteen points adrift after the Bahrain race later saw Arvid Lindblad claim seventh place.
Gasly, speaking to Sky Sports F1, admitted he was “almost lost for words” after the fallout. He praised the team’s performance over the weekend, noting that the Alpine car had been competitive enough to match the pace of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris for much of the race, with a comfortable gap to the midfield. Yet he expressed frustration at losing out to the Racing Bulls and hoped the team could recover before the season’s end. The incident also sparked a wave of online abuse directed at Gasly and his family, prompting the French driver to condemn the “completely inappropriate” social‑media attacks.
Both Alpine and Colapinto have repeatedly spoken out against the harassment of drivers by a segment of Argentine fans. Looking ahead, both Colapinto and Gasly have secured their seats with Alpine for the next season. When asked about the future of their partnership, Gasly stressed the importance of mutual respect, saying, “As long as there is respect, everything is possible.” Colapinto echoed the sentiment, noting that they have always worked well together and intend to move forward.
Formula 1 now turns its attention to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, where the Bahrain Grand Prix will be staged for the first time since 2017. Fans can watch the live coverage on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract.
The upcoming race will test whether the FIA will adopt Norris’s call for stricter penalties and whether Alpine can bounce back from the setbacks suffered in Baku.