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Norris says Colapinto should be banned after accident
Confirmed
In Short: World champion Lando Norris has called for Alpine's Franco Colapinto to be banned for causing a three-car crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
World champion Lando Norris has called for Alpine's Franco Colapinto to be banned for causing a three-car crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix restart.
Norris, who was taken out in the chain reaction, said the FIA should be stricter and start handing out bans for such incidents.
The incident occurred when Colapinto locked up his brakes and slid into his teammate Pierre Gasly, who then hit Norris, eliminating all three drivers from the race.
Colapinto accepted responsibility for the accident, describing it as a major mistake and apologizing to everyone involved.
Norris's demand goes beyond the usual penalty scale for causing a collision, as the accident was especially painful for Alpine, who had Gasly and Colapinto running seventh and 10th, respectively.
The precise post-race consequence had not been confirmed in the FIA's published decisions when Norris made his comments.
Colapinto was given a 10-second penalty in the race but since he could not serve it having already retired, he will instead receive a grid drop at the next round.
What this adds
Norris's demand for a ban is unprecedented and goes beyond typical penalties for such incidents.
The FIA's decision on the penalty has not been finalized, leaving room for further disciplinary action.
The incident highlights the financial and competitive impact of such accidents on teams and drivers.
What's confirmed
- Franco Colapinto's lock-up in Turn One took out his team-mate Pierre Gasly as well as world champion Lando Norris World champion Lando Norris has called for Alpine's Franco Colapinto to be banned for causing an accident at a restart at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
- "The FIA should be more strict and start handing out bans for this kind of stuff," Norris said.
- A McLaren spokesperson said it was too early to say whether the incident would mean Norris would not be able to use the upgraded parts the team debuted in Baku at the race in Malaysia.
- McLaren's Norris was taken out in a chain reaction when the Argentine locked up his brakes and slid into team-mate Pierre Gasly, who then hit Norris.
What's still developing
- Briton Norris said he believed governing body the FIA should take such incidents more seriously because of the impact it has on other drivers who are blameless, and the cost in terms of damaged parts.
- It's quite simple." Colapinto said: "I can be sorry to everyone.
- "If you cause a crash on a restart like this, yeah, you should have at least a one-race ban." Russell faultless while Hadjar excellent on return - driver ratings However, race winner George Russell and Max Verstappen, who took second, both said a ban would be too severe.
- If you cause a crash on a restart like this, yeah, you should have at least a one-race ban, Norris told BBC Radio 5 Live.
- Norris argued that financial damage alone was not an adequate consequence for careless driving, particularly when another team's new components were destroyed.
- Gasly was then pushed into Norris, eliminating all three drivers and turning a promising afternoon for Alpine into a rather expensive heap of carbon fiber.
- Sports · updated 5h ago · 2 min read Norris calls for a one-race ban for Colapinto after the Baku crash.
- Left out by 7 of 9 who reported it Colapinto's earlier penalty converts into a Bahrain grid drop.
- Colapinto said he expected "something" in terms of a penalty, while recalling that he was not a race official.
- I just locked up and then I was very out of control." Norris argued that the FIA should take such incidents more seriously because of the impact on other drivers and the cost in damaged parts, and he told BBC Radio 5 Live, "Give him a ban.
- Norris’s comments framed the dispute as a line between driving error and fault, with the outcome depending on disciplinary decisions as much as on whether the restart incident can be prevented from turning into a mass elimination.
- The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was won by Mercedes’ George Russell but Norris was forced to retire from eighth place after Colapinto caused the accident that all but ended the defending world champion’s title hopes.