News Summary
- Norris said he apologised privately to Colapinto and should not have called for a ban.
- Colapinto locked up at a Safety Car restart in Baku, triggering a collision that eliminated himself, Pierre Gasly and Norris.
- The Alpine driver received a five-place grid penalty for the next race.
Lando Norris has withdrawn his call for Franco Colapinto to receive a one-race ban after their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In a message published on Monday (28), the McLaren driver said he had contacted Colapinto directly to apologise for comments made shortly after Saturday’s race in Baku.
“I sent Franco a message apologising for the comments I made that I simply should not have said,” Norris wrote. He added that heightened emotions did not excuse his remarks and acknowledged that he had made mistakes of his own while racing. Norris said he and Colapinto had reached an understanding, remained friends and were looking forward to racing again this weekend.
The reversal follows a costly Safety Car restart on lap 36. Colapinto locked up under braking for Turn 1 and struck Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly. Gasly’s car then made contact with Norris’s McLaren. All three drivers retired, ending an afternoon in which Alpine had been on course to score points with both cars. Watch how the Baku collision unfolded.
Speaking after the race in a media session attended by GRANDE PRÊMIO in Baku, Norris said the FIA should be stricter with drivers who cause crashes of that kind. He called the driving “careless” and argued that an incident at a restart should warrant at least a race ban. At the time, Norris said he had not yet seen a replay of the collision.
Colapinto accepted responsibility immediately, apologising to Gasly, Alpine and the team’s staff after what he described as a major mistake. The stewards imposed a ten-second time penalty for causing the collision. Because Colapinto retired before serving it, the sanction was converted into a five-place grid drop for the next race. Read the penalty decision and its effect on Colapinto’s next start.
Norris’s apology addresses his comments about Colapinto; it does not change the stewards’ decision on the crash. Formula 1 returns this weekend for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where Colapinto is due to serve the grid penalty.
F1 today: FAQ
When is the next F1 race after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia takes place at Sepang on Sunday, 4 October 2026. The race starts at 08:00 BST, 03:00 US Eastern time and 15:00 in Malaysia.
Who leads the 2026 F1 championship after Baku?
Kimi Antonelli leads with 302 points, 66 ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, who has 236. Russell reduced the gap by 15 points with his Azerbaijan GP victory.
What penalty will Franco Colapinto serve at the next F1 race?
Colapinto has a five-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after causing the Baku collision involving Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris.
Did Lando Norris apologise to Franco Colapinto?
Yes. Norris said he sent Colapinto a private message apologising for his comments after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and later acknowledged the apology publicly.
