F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Norris and Colapinto speak after Azerbaijan GP collision

Lando Norris says he and Franco Colapinto have apologised to each other after their Azerbaijan Grand Prix collision, and has declined to judge Colapinto’s penalty.

GPBeat · Newsroom01 Oct 2026, 18:08 · 1 min

At a lap-35 restart in Baku, Colapinto locked up and hit his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly, whose car then collided with Norris. All three retired from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Afterwards, Norris said a driver who caused that sort of restart crash should receive at least a one-race ban.

In an Instagram statement cited by RacingNews365, Norris said he had since sent Colapinto a private apology and was withdrawing his remarks. He said emotions had been running high, but that this did not excuse what he had said.

Norris said he and Colapinto had reached an understanding, remained friends and were looking forward to racing again.

Update

Norris told reporters, including RacingNews365, that he and Colapinto had spoken by phone after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix collision. Norris said he apologised for some of his comments, while Colapinto apologised for the crash. RacingNews365 reported that Colapinto also confirmed the conversation, said they had moved on and understood Norris’s immediate reaction.

Immediately after the incident, Norris had called for at least a one-race ban for causing a crash at a restart.

Asked whether Colapinto’s five-place grid penalty was appropriate, Norris declined to give a verdict, saying it was not his decision.

Sources 02

SOURCELando Norris issues apology to Franco Colapinto over 'emotional' commentsRacingNews365 English · Source date as found: 2026-09-28
SOURCELando Norris shies away from Franco Colapinto penalty debate after clear-the-air talksRacingNews365 English · Source date as found: 2026-10-01

Source context

RacingNews365 reported Norris’s Instagram statement on 28 September 2026; Norris described the private apology in that statement.

RacingNews365 reported the drivers’ comments on 1 October 2026.

Claims and supporting evidence 10

RacingNews365 reports that Norris said he privately apologised to Colapinto after calling for a race ban over their Azerbaijan Grand Prix collision. Norris publicly withdrew his remarks, saying they were wrong and that his emotions did not excuse them.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Norris’s apology to Colapinto, as reported by RacingNews365 from Norris’s Instagram statement. After the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix; reported on 2026-09-28. The Instagram post and private message were not supplied; this is an account through RacingNews365, not direct verification of either communication.

[1]

RacingNews365 quotes Norris initially saying a driver who caused such a restart crash should receive at least a one-race ban. His later apology concerns those comments; it does not establish that a ban was imposed.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. The remarks Norris withdrew. Immediately after the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix collision. The original remarks are available here only as quoted by RacingNews365.

[1]

RacingNews365 reports that Colapinto locked up at a lap-35 restart in Baku, triggering a collision involving his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly and Norris; all three retired.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Race incident underlying the exchange. 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The incident account comes from the single read report; no race record or separate account was supplied.

[1]

Norris said he and Colapinto had reached an understanding and remained friends. That is Norris’s account, not an independently obtained response from Colapinto.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Norris’s description of his relationship with Colapinto after the apology. Reported on 2026-09-28. No statement from Colapinto about their subsequent exchange was supplied.

[1]

Only RacingNews365 English was supplied and read. There is no basis here to compare independently reported accounts or describe a difference between national media.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Available reporting for this event. Sources supplied for the 2026-09-28 report. The absence of another read publication is a limit of the supplied archive, not evidence that other reporting does not exist.

[1]

Norris told reporters, including RacingNews365, that he and Colapinto spoke by phone and apologised to each other: Norris for some of his words, Colapinto for the crash. This is Norris’s account of their exchange.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Norris and Colapinto after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix incident Reported 1 October 2026, after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix RacingNews365 reports attending Norris’s remarks; the phone conversation itself was not independently observed in the supplied material.

[2]

RacingNews365 reports that Colapinto confirmed the two had spoken, moved on from the incident, and said he understood Norris’s immediate reaction.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Colapinto’s response to the same conversation Reported 1 October 2026 The supplied article paraphrases Colapinto rather than providing his words on this point.

[2]

Immediately after the crash, Norris called for at least a one-race ban for causing a crash on a restart. After speaking with Colapinto, he declined to judge whether the reported five-place grid penalty was appropriate. His later answer does not establish that he endorsed the penalty.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Norris’s position on sanctions From the immediate aftermath of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix incident to remarks reported 1 October 2026 These are Norris’s stated views, not a finding about what sanction the rules required.

[2]

RacingNews365 reports that Colapinto lost control at Turn 1 during a safety-car restart in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, hit Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, and Gasly then hit Norris. It reports an initial 10-second time penalty converted into a five-place grid drop for the next race.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported crash and sanction Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the following race weekend in 2026 The incident sequence and penalty conversion come from this one article; no stewards’ decision or race record was supplied. The next race’s location is inconsistent on the page.

[2]

Only one relevant publication was supplied and read. There is no basis here to identify agreement, differences in emphasis, or independent confirmation across media.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Source comparison Material available for the 1 October 2026 report This is a limit of the supplied source archive, not a defect in the attributed interview reporting.

[2]

Corrections and updates to this story

01 Oct 2026, 18:08

Updated with a material new development verified through a separate News Made Clear newsroom run.

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.