Defending world champion Lando Norris has launched a scathing critique of Alpine driver Franco Colapinto, arguing that he does not belong in Formula One following a collision that forced both drivers to retire at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The incident occurred during a safety car restart, leaving the McLaren driver furious as his championship hopes took a severe blow. That left Norris insistent Colapinto should face serious sanction.
The trouble began when Colapinto approached turn one at high speed, locking his wheels well before the entry point. Having lost control, he slammed into his own teammate, Pierre Gasly, who was subsequently shunted into Norris. The resulting wreckage eliminated all three cars from the race at a moment when both McLaren and Alpine were positioned to capitalize on strong performances. The error was hugely costly to his Alpine team as well who were on for a double points finish at the time and Gasly was similarly aggrieved at his teammate. “I don’t think I really have words and I don’t need the words now,” he said.
Reflecting on the chaos, a fuming Norris stated, “I just got taken out. There are some drivers who shouldn’t be in Formula One.” He emphasized that the FIA needs to adopt a firmer stance on such errors, suggesting that “if you cause a crash on a restart like this, you should have at least a one-race ban.” Norris highlighted the financial and competitive toll of the accident, noting that his damaged parts were rendered useless, effectively forcing him to endure the consequences of what he labeled as careless driving. “In Formula One you would expect that drivers can anticipate that the grip will be low and tyre temperatures are low.
The impact of the crash on the standings is significant. Norris now trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 116 points with only eight races remaining in the season. While a mathematical path to the title persists, the reality of the deficit suggests his chances have effectively vanished. Furthermore, McLaren faces concerns over whether they can manufacture replacement parts in time for next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. All my parts are in the bin now, it costs a lot of money.
Colapinto expressed remorse for his role in the pile-up, admitting, “I can be sorry to everyone. It’s been a big mistake of course. I just locked-up and then I was very out of control.” His teammate, Pierre Gasly, remained visibly frustrated, stating that he simply did not have the words to describe his disappointment with the event. While race stewards issued a 10-second penalty to Colapinto, his retirement meant he could not serve it on track, leading to a mandatory grid drop for the upcoming round in Malaysia.
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