Lando Norris has demanded that Franco Colapinto receive at least a one-race ban following a crash that eliminated three cars during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix restart. The incident occurred on lap 36 when Colapinto locked up his front tyres and collided with Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly at Turn 1, also collecting Norris in the process.
The McLaren driver expressed frustration with what he described as careless driving that costs teams significant money. Norris argued that Formula 1 should expect drivers to anticipate challenging conditions, noting that tyre temperatures were not even particularly low during the restart. He emphasized that drivers causing such crashes should face bans because the standard of driving does not belong in Formula 1.
Colapinto apologized for what he called a big mistake, explaining that he locked up completely with cold tyres and brakes and lost control of his car. The Argentine driver expressed disappointment for letting down his team, Gasly, and Norris when both Alpine cars were positioned to score points.
The stewards subsequently handed Colapinto a five-place grid penalty for the next race at Bahrain in Malaysia. The crash capped off a difficult afternoon for Norris, who had already made his own Turn 1 error earlier in the race that dropped him into the pack.