Colapinto faces grid drop after Baku crash ends race for Norris and both Alpines

Franco Colapinto faces a grid penalty at the next race after a collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix forced him, Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and McLaren's Lando Norris to retire. BBC Sport reported that Colapinto received a 10-second penalty, which will become a grid drop because he had already retired. The number of grid positions had not been confirmed.

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The accident occurred at a restart in Baku. Colapinto locked his brakes and slid into Gasly, whose car then struck Norris in a chain reaction that ended the race for all three drivers. Colapinto accepted responsibility afterwards, describing the collision as a major mistake and explaining that he lost control after locking up. He also offered an apology to those affected.

Norris called for a stronger sanction in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. “Give him a ban,” he said. The world champion argued that the FIA should impose stricter punishments for restart collisions, citing both the effect on drivers caught up in them and the expense of replacing damaged components. His demand went beyond the penalty reported as having been imposed on Colapinto.

For Alpine, the incident ended a chance to score points with both cars. Its drivers had been running seventh and 10th before the collision, according to BBC Sport's report by Formula 1 correspondent Andrew Benson. Gasly expressed his disappointment at losing that opportunity after a competitive weekend and race, saying he was still struggling to process the outcome.

The result also affected Alpine's constructors' championship contest with Racing Bulls. Arvid Lindblad finished seventh, helping Racing Bulls increase their advantage over Alpine to 15 points in the fight for fifth place. Alpine's double retirement therefore coincided with a points-scoring finish for a direct rival in that standings battle.

McLaren was also assessing the consequences for its equipment. A team spokesperson told BBC Sport it was too early to determine whether the crash would prevent Norris from using the upgraded parts introduced in Baku at the following race. Their availability remained unresolved, alongside the size of Colapinto's grid penalty.