Norris apologizes to Colapinto after saying some drivers 'shouldn't be in Formula 1'

MONACO (AP) — McLaren’s Lando Norris has apologized to Franco Colapinto for remarks he made, saying some drivers “shouldn’t be in Formula 1.” The comments came after Colapinto triggered a multicar collision that ended Norris' race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Norris explained on Instagram that he sent Colapinto a message apologizing for the comments immediately after the race.

He acknowledged the comments were wrong and that emotions were running high, but emphasized it was still a mistake. Colapinto had braked too late at the start of the race, causing a chain reaction involving Norris and Pierre Gasly. Norris told Sky Sports, "There’s just some drivers that shouldn’t be in Formula 1, to be honest." Colapinto called it a "big mistake" and expressed his regret to both Norris and Gasly.

Colapinto received a 10-second time penalty for the incident and did not finish the race, which could result in a grid penalty for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix. Norris and Colapinto have since reconciled, expressing excitement to return to racing. Norris currently trails race leader Kimi Antonelli by 116 points.