Lando Norris Admits He Got Caught Up in ‘the Heat of the Moment’ After Apologising to Franco Colapinto Over Baku Comments

• Lando Norris says he apologised to Franco Colapinto on the night of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after suggesting in post-race comments that Colapinto should face a ban
• Norris says the comments “aren’t a true reflection” of him and that he called Colapinto directly before posting a public apology later in the week
• Norris also says he expects Sepang to suit the McLaren better than Baku did, where straight-line speed and power issues hurt his race

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A Message Sent the Same Night

Lando Norris has given a fuller account of the apology he made to Franco Colapinto after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, admitting he got “caught up in the heat of the moment” with comments he made immediately after the race.

Colapinto locked up at Turn 1 in the first Safety Car restart in Baku and ran into teammate Pierre Gasly, who was then hit by Norris, taking both the McLaren and Gasly’s Alpine out of the race. Colapinto limped back to the pits before retiring. He was handed a 10-second time penalty for the incident, later converted into a five-place grid penalty for this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

‘Not a True Reflection of Me’

Speaking to media immediately after the Baku race, Norris said there were “some drivers that shouldn’t be in F1” and suggested Colapinto should receive a ban. He later posted a statement on social media explaining that he had apologised to Colapinto directly for the remarks.

Speaking again about the episode at media day in Sepang, Norris was asked whether leaning on other drivers helps when these situations happen. “I’ve certainly leant on other drivers in the past for help in different situations and advice in different situations,” he said. “Not that I think this was necessarily that case at all. It was just me not saying the right things and saying some things that aren’t a true reflection of me or what I really mean deep down.”

He described the moment as out of character. “I think I don’t normally get caught up in the heat of the moment but this was certainly one of the cases where I think I did, and for me the most important thing was to speak to Franco about it,” Norris said. “He’s the only guy, let’s say, that I want to direct something to and care about in this situation, and that’s what I did.”

Norris explained the timing of his response. “I spoke to him already on Sunday night as soon as I could, and of course I put the post out later in the week to apologise, to let everyone know that I did it because there was also the rest of the world that I felt like I owed the apology to,” he said. “As drivers we all get along, Franco is a good friend of mine who I get on well with. He always means well. He’s a very good guy. Of course, at the same time I felt like I owed him that apology more than everyone else.”

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Alpine’s Statement on Online Abuse

Alpine released its own statement after Baku condemning the hate and abuse Colapinto received online following the race. Norris said that kind of reaction is never justified, whatever happens on track.

“There’s just a level of respect and humility that I think people should have,” he said. “We all mistakes, one of those things was me making the mistake last weekend. There’s a level of things, and as a community we need to understand how we can make it better.”

Looking for a Better Weekend at Sepang

With the apology addressed, Norris turned to McLaren’s prospects at a circuit the team is yet to race at this season. Baku exposed straight-line speed and power problems that made his car harder to drive than it needed to be, and he is hopeful Sepang’s characteristics play more to the MCL40’s strengths.

“I hope it’s better than Baku. I expect it to be better than Baku,” Norris said. “We certainly will be more confident if we can fix some of the problems I’ve had on my car. Over the weekend in Baku, it just made my car more tough than it needs to be, which is the straight-line speed and power problems we’ve been having.”

He said belief inside the team remains intact even after the recent setback. “I want to believe so. I think we still believe as a team we have a competitive car and it’s still strong in certain areas. Hopefully a combination of all these things means we can have a better weekend,” Norris said.

A Clean Slate in Malaysia

Norris arrives at the Sepang International Circuit having already drawn a line under the Baku fallout with Colapinto, who starts the weekend five places back on the grid as a consequence of the collision. For Norris, the focus now shifts fully to correcting the power and straight-line issues that cost him in Azerbaijan, on a layout where he, like most of the grid, will be racing for the first time in his career. Whether the apology closes the matter for good inside the paddock depends on how the two drivers’ weekends unfold once the lights go out on Sunday.

More F1 Reading

• George Russell Declares He Is No Longer ‘Lost’ in His Mercedes as He Puts the Title Pressure Squarely on Kimi Antonelli
• Sepang Track Guide: A Corner-By-Corner Breakdown
• 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: Fast Facts
• Fernando Alonso Calls F1’s Return to Sepang a Golden Ticket as Drivers Relish Malaysia Homecoming

Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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