Lando Norris says some drivers ‘shouldn’t be in F1’ after Colapinto sets off multi-car crash

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — McLaren's Lando Norris expressed his opinion that some drivers "shouldn't be in Formula 1" following Franco Colapinto's actions, which triggered a multi-car crash during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday. The defending champion's race came to an abrupt end when Colapinto braked too late at the first corner after a safety car period, colliding with his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly.

In turn, Gasly's car pushed Norris into the barriers. Norris told Sky Sports, "There's just some drivers that shouldn't be in Formula 1, to be honest." Colapinto described the incident as a "big mistake" and offered his "big sorry" to both Gasly and Norris. Norris now finds himself 116 points behind title leader Kimi Antonelli, a significant setback for a title defense already facing challenges after recent wins in Italy and Spain.

Colapinto was penalized with a 10-second time penalty, which could potentially result in a grid penalty for the upcoming race in Malaysia, formerly known as the Bahrain Grand Prix. Race winner George Russell and second-place Max Verstappen disagreed with the idea that Colapinto should face suspension for his mistake, arguing that safety-car restarts and cold tires can lead to unexpected consequences.

Russell stated, "I think safety-car restarts, cold tires, a very small mistake can have big consequences. From what I saw today, that's what it looked like." He added, "I think, personally, race bans should come from drivers intentionally doing something very dangerous and very reckless. I think it was unfortunate."