McLaren's Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, has personally apologised to Franco Colapinto for the harsh comments he aimed at the Argentine after their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. At a Safety Car restart on the Baku street circuit, Colapinto locked up and went too deep into Turn 1, putting himself, his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and Norris out of the race. In the immediate aftermath, the Briton declared that some drivers should not be competing in Formula 1 and called for Colapinto to be handed a race ban. Ultimately, the stewards gave the Argentine a 10-second penalty, which was converted into a five-place grid drop for the Bahrain Grand Prix, relocated this year to Malaysia's Sepang circuit.
Norris has since publicly owned up to his mistake on social media. "After the race, I sent Franco a message apologising for the comments I made that I simply should not have said," he wrote. "I know better and emotions were running high but that is not an excuse, it was wrong of me." He added that he had made his own share of mistakes over the years, and that fighting on the limit is an inherent part of racing. Norris said the pair had reached a good understanding and, despite the tension, were still friends.
