Norris explains apology to Colapinto after Baku post-race outburst

# What happened in Baku

During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix restart, Franco Colapinto locked up at Turn 1 and ran into his team mate Pierre Gasly. Gasly then made contact with Lando Norris, which put both Gasly and Norris out of the race. Colapinto limped back to the pits and subsequently retired.

# Norris's initial reaction

Immediately after retiring, Norris told media that there were "some drivers that shouldn't be in F1" and suggested Colapinto should face a ban. Those comments were made in the immediate aftermath of the crash, when emotions were high.

# The apology and how it unfolded

Norris says he spoke with Colapinto on the Sunday night following the incident "as soon as I could". He apologised directly to Colapinto first, because that was the person he most wanted to address.

A few days later Norris posted a public apology to make clear he had already spoken to Colapinto and that his earlier remarks did not reflect his deeper views. He described getting "caught up in the heat of the moment" and acknowledged he had "not said the right things."

# The personal and public dimensions

Alpine released a statement condemning the online "hate and abuse" that followed the race. Norris commented that receiving or seeing that kind of abuse "is not easy for anyone" and called for a level of respect and humility across the sport and its fanbase.

# Why Norris reached out to other drivers and why he apologised directly

Norris acknowledged that he has leaned on other drivers in the past for advice in different situations, but said this case was different. He wanted to speak directly to the driver involved rather than escalate the situation through others.

He reiterated that his post-race outburst was an emotional reaction and not a true reflection of his normal conduct.

# Team context and race outlook

On the technical side, Norris said the McLaren MCL40 has been suffering straight-line speed and power problems that made his car "more tough than it needs to be" in Baku. Fixing those issues would improve the team's confidence for the weekend at the Sepang International Circuit. Norris expects Sepang to be a better fit for the car and hopes the team can address the problems that affected performance in Baku.

# Bottom line