Norris and Colapinto speak after Azerbaijan GP collision

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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.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · 01 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.

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