Lando Norris has admitted his post-race remarks were wrong, offering a direct apology to Franco Colapinto following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The trouble started during the first Safety Car restart at the Baku City Circuit. Colapinto locked up and went too deep at Turn 1, triggering a multi-car incident that took out both Alpine team mate Pierre Gasly and the McLaren of Norris, ending both of their races early.
The stewards handed Colapinto a 10-second time penalty for the clash. Because the Argentinian did not finish Saturday's race, that punishment was converted into a five-place grid drop for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Emotions were running scorching hot in the media pen immediately after his retirement. Norris did not hold back at the time, stating that there are “some drivers that shouldn’t be in F1” and suggesting that Colapinto should even be banned.
By Monday, however, reality had set in and the tone changed completely. Norris took to social media to reveal that he had messaged Colapinto directly to say sorry.
“After the race, I sent Franco a message apologising for the comments I made that I simply should not have said. I know better and emotions were running high but that is not an excuse, it was wrong of me,” Norris posted in a statement on Instagram, while also noting that he has made his own mistakes over the years and understands it is all part of fighting on the limit.
Fortunately, the two have already cleared the air. Norris confirmed that they came to a good understanding, remain good friends, and are both ready to get back racing this weekend.
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