FIA reaches verdict on Colapinto after Norris and Gasly crash
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17:53, 26 Sep
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Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Franco Colapinto has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the next race after the collision that triggered the retirements of Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Alpine driver was deemed wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident at Turn 1 following a restart in Baku. Colapinto approached team-mate Gasly from behind, but braked too late as he attempted to take the inside line.
According to the stewards, Colapinto entered the corner at a speed that did not allow him to make it through Turn 1 in a controlled manner. He overshot the corner and hit the left-hand side of Gasly’s car, with the Alpine then colliding with Norris. Both Gasly and the McLaren driver were forced to retire.
Colapinto penalised after Norris calls for race ban
The stewards initially imposed the standard 10-second time penalty for causing a collision. However, because Colapinto retired and could not serve it during the race, the punishment was converted into a five-place grid drop for the next Grand Prix he takes part in.
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The FIA also noted that, despite the crash occurring at the first corner after a restart, there was no contribution from another driver that would justify applying a more lenient approach.
The incident sparked a debate after the race, with Norris suggesting Colapinto should receive a race ban for the move that ended his afternoon. Norris said: "I think the FIA should be more strict and start handing out bans for this kind of stuff. It's just careless when people cost a lot of money. All my parts are in the bin now. So, if people should just get banned. This driving does not deserve to be in F1."
George Russell, however, felt that such a punishment would be too harsh, with his comments backed by Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar who also held similar opinions.
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