Lando Norris apologises to Franco Colapinto after calling for a ban

Lando Norris has apologised to Franco Colapinto after saying the Argentine should be banned for the accident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The world champion subsequently acknowledged that he should not have made those comments.

The incident occurred at the restart following a safety-car period. Colapinto locked up before hitting his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly. Gasly then struck Norris, with all three drivers retiring.

Colapinto was handed a 10-second penalty during the race. As his retirement made that sanction inapplicable, it was converted into a five-place grid drop, which he will serve this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Colapinto said he was “sorry” for his “big mistake”. In the immediate aftermath, Norris told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Give him a ban. It’s quite simple.”

In a message posted on Instagram, Norris described a “tough weekend” in Baku, capped by an early and disappointing end to the race. He said he had sent Colapinto a message after the event to apologise for comments he “simply should not have said”.

Norris added that he knew he needed to control his reactions better, while stressing that emotion was no excuse. He acknowledged making mistakes himself over the years and said such situations were part of racing and fighting on the limit.

According to Norris, the two drivers have reached a good understanding, remain good friends and are both looking forward to racing again this weekend.