Lando Norris has become the subject of online backlash following his comments after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The McLaren driver called for a race ban for Alpine’s Franco Colapinto after a collision.
The incident occurred at a safety car restart during the race in Baku. Colapinto locked his brakes into Turn 1, colliding with his teammate Pierre Gasly. This pushed Gasly’s car into Norris, forcing all three drivers into retirement.
Following the race, Norris was highly critical of the Argentine driver. He suggested that some drivers are not worthy of a place on the grid. Norris also stated the FIA should be stricter with such incidents.
‘I think the FIA should be more strict and start handing out bans for this kind of stuff. People should just get banned, because that’s not driving that deserves to be in Formula 1.’
Colapinto accepted full responsibility for the collision, admitting it was a ‘big mistake’. The race stewards issued a 10-second time penalty, which was converted into a five-place grid drop for the next Grand Prix as he did not finish the race.
Norris’s call for a ban has been met with disagreement from his peers. Podium finishers George Russell, Max Verstappen, and Isack Hadjar all described the penalty suggestion as ‘too harsh’. Russell noted that a small mistake on cold tyres can have large consequences.
The comments have also triggered a significant negative reaction on social media, particularly from Colapinto’s fans in Argentina. Norris has been targeted with a large volume of abusive messages online.
The criticism has extended to prominent Argentine figures. Former footballer Sergio Aguero and a senior member of the Argentine government have also publicly joined the social media criticism directed at Norris.
Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore also commented on the incident. He described Colapinto’s error as a ‘very poor move’ and apologized to both Norris and McLaren for the consequences.
