Lando Norris has apologised to Franco Colapinto over comments he made in the aftermath of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The McLaren driver admitted that his call for Colapinto to receive a one-race ban was wrong after emotions ran high following the Baku incident.
Norris was one of three drivers eliminated after Colapinto locked his brakes during the lap 35 restart. The Alpine driver then hit team-mate Pierre Gasly, who was pushed into Norris on the outside line. All three cars retired immediately.
Norris called for a stronger punishment immediately after the incident. He argued that causing a crash during a restart should warrant at least a one-race suspension, while also questioning whether such driving deserved a place in Formula 1.
"If you cause a crash on a restart like this, you should have at least a one-race ban."
The stewards subsequently handed Colapinto a 10-second penalty. Because his car was already too damaged to continue, the sanction was converted into a five-place grid drop for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang. Colapinto immediately accepted responsibility and apologised to both Gasly and Norris.
After emotions had cooled, Norris chose to contact Colapinto directly. In an Instagram post, he revealed that he had privately apologised to the Argentine before publicly explaining his change of position.
"After the race, I sent Franco a message apologising for the comments I made that I simply should not have said."
Norris acknowledged that his comments were influenced by the emotions of the moment, but stressed that this did not justify what he said. He also pointed to his own mistakes throughout his career and recognised that errors are part of racing when drivers compete at the limit.
"I know better, and emotions were running high, but that is not an excuse; it was wrong of me. I've made mistakes of my own over the years, and I know this is very much a part of racing and fighting on the limit."
Norris and Colapinto subsequently reached a good understanding and remain on good terms. The apology also followed comments from several drivers, including George Russell and Max Verstappen, who pushed back against Norris' original call for a race ban.
"Me and Franco came to a good understanding, are still good friends and are both excited to get back racing this weekend."
The Baku incident will now carry into the next round, with Colapinto facing a five-place grid penalty. For Norris, the apology brings a clarification to the controversy surrounding his immediate reaction to the crash that ended his Azerbaijan Grand Prix early.
Baca Juga
Lando Norris menarik permintaan ban F1 untuk Franco Colapinto setelah insiden Baku. Permintaan maaf pribadi dan dampaknya bagi hubungan antar pembalap.
Charles Leclerc tanpa sengaja bocorkan spesifikasi mesin ADUO 2 Ferrari di Baku. Simak momen canggung dan dampaknya bagi performa tim.
Lando Norris meminta maaf kepada Franco Colapinto atas komentar emosional usai crash GP Azerbaijan dan mengakui tuntutan larangan balapnya keliru.
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