Norris calls for Colapinto ban after restart collision

Lando Norris called for Franco Colapinto to receive a Formula One race ban after Colapinto’s mistake at a safety-car restart in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix triggered a collision that ended the races of Norris, Colapinto and Pierre Gasly. Stewards imposed a 10-second penalty on Colapinto, which reports said would convert to a five-place grid drop at the next round because he had retired. Colapinto locked his brakes and lost control at the restart, hitting Alpine teammate Gasly, whose car then struck Norris’s McLaren. All three drivers retired. Colapinto apologized to Gasly, Norris and the team, describing the incident as a major mistake. Norris said after the crash that the FIA should be stricter and that a driver causing a collision at a restart should receive at least a one-race ban. He said the crash had cost him car parts and noted that he had not reviewed the footage when making his initial comments. The penalty imposed by stewards was a time sanction converted to a grid drop, not a race suspension. Race winner George Russell and runner-up Max Verstappen disagreed with calls for a ban.