The Briton acknowledges that his statements after the crash in Baku were unfair and assures that he sent a direct message to the Argentine.
Lando Norris has backed down. The British McLaren driver, who after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had stated that "some drivers shouldn't be in F1" in reference to Franco Colapinto, has issued a statement on his social media to apologize to the Argentine, a gesture of self-criticism that comes two days after the incident that left both drivers out of the race in Baku and that reflects the maturity of a world champion who acknowledges his mistakes.
"Tough weekend overall in Baku and of course a disappointing and early end to the race. After the race I sent Franco a message apologizing for the comments I made and that I simply shouldn't have said, I know it's wrong and emotions were running high but that's not an excuse, it was my mistake" clarified the statement published by Norris on Instagram. The Briton who had even suggested that Colapinto should be suspended, acknowledged that his reaction was disproportionate and that the circumstances of the moment led him to say more than he should have.
The incident that unleashed the controversy occurred on the first lap after the Safety Car restart in Baku, Colapinto went wide on the braking at turn 1, hit his teammate Pierre Gasly and he in turn, impacted Norris's McLaren. The three drivers were out of the race due to the damage suffered, the stewards considered the Argentine responsible for the crash and imposed a ten-second penalty on him which, since he had not finished the race, became a loss of five places on the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Norris, who had arrived in Baku with the hope of closing the gap in the championship after his victories in the Netherlands and Hungary, saw how his aspirations vanished due to someone else's incident, his frustration was understandable but his words crossed the limits of the sport: "Some drivers shouldn't be in F1" the Briton had declared in the media pen, generating a wave of reactions in the paddock and among the fans.
Norris's apology not only repairs his relationship with Colapinto, but also sends a positive message about sportsmanship in Formula 1: "I've made my own mistakes over the years and I know this is part of racing and fighting at the limit, Franco and I came to a good understanding, we're still good friends and we're both excited to compete again this weekend" added the Briton.
The reconciliation between both drivers clears the atmosphere before the next event in Malaysia, where both Norris and Colapinto will seek to leave behind the Baku episode and focus on scoring points for their respective teams. Formula 1, a sport of intense passions, demonstrates once again that respect and humility are fundamental values on and off the track.
Norris's reaction, acknowledging his mistake and asking for public apologies, marks the difference between a driver who lets himself be carried away by frustration and one who learns from his failures, Colapinto, for his part, accepted the apologies with sportsmanship closing a bitter chapter that both hope to forget in Sepang.
