Lando Norris has finally spoken out about his apology to Franco Colapinto following their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The reigning Formula 1 champion admitted that his post-race comments went too far and sparked a wave of criticism and online abuse that should never have happened.
Speaking to the media in Malaysia on Thursday, Norris explained that he reached out to Colapinto privately to apologize. "I said what I wanted to Franco and he's the only one really that I need to share my opinion and my apology with," he said. Nevertheless, he also chose to make a public statement to defuse the situation on social media.
The McLaren driver acknowledged that he was wrong to call for a race ban for Colapinto. "I apologized to him for some of the things I said that were wrong, and he apologized to me for the incident, which is good," Norris added. He stressed that his relationship with Colapinto remains good and that they have forgiven each other.
The incident in Baku involved Franco Colapinto triggering a multi-car pile-up. Norris, who was behind him at the time, had to face the bitter reality of losing important points. Norris's harsh reaction immediately became a focal point, especially as he suggested that Colapinto deserved a race ban.
However, Norris's scathing criticism backfired. Colapinto's fans launched a counterattack on social media, including hate speech and death threats. Norris regretted this and hoped social media platforms could do more to stop toxic behavior.
"Sadly, that's what we and a lot of sports deal with," Norris said. "Some of it's down to just passion and that's what you always have in sports. Social media makes it easy for people to share opinions. But online abuse, death threats, all of those things are way too far beyond being a fan of a sport."
Norris also emphasized that athletes and sports organizers need to do more to protect drivers from such attacks. He hopes this incident serves as a lesson for all parties, especially in maintaining sportsmanship both on and off the track.
With the apology now delivered, Norris hopes to refocus on racing. He is currently preparing for the next round in Malaysia, where he will look to bounce back and secure a strong result with McLaren.
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