Lando Norris has issued a public statement regarding his post-Azerbaijan Grand Prix comments regarding Franco Colapinto amid a social media frenzy.
The Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP was a disastrous weekend for the reigning World Champion. Norris, who struggled to match the pace of his front-running rivals throughout the weekend, was running in the midfield during the Safety Car restart.
When green-flag racing resumed, the Briton found himself out of the race following contact from Alpine’s Colapinto, which hit the sister car of Pierre Gasly, which, in turn, domino-effected into the McLaren.
When speaking to the media, Norris’ frustrations were evident. The 26-year-old called on the FIA to impose “race bans” on drivers who engage in “careless racing” during race restarts, and went on to suggest that driving styles like Colapinto’s in Baku have no place in the sport, claiming “there are some drivers that shouldn’t be in Formula 1.”
Norris’ comments quickly caught the attention of the passionate Argentinian fan base. Within hours of the incident, the McLaren driver’s social media comments were flooded with various hateful messages, condemning his comments about Colapinto.
Argentina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Pablo Quirno even took to X to take aim at Norris, posting a picture of his 2025 Canadian GP collision with teammate Oscar Piastri, writing: “Sure, Lando Norris called for a penalty for the driver who crashed into Oscar Piastri in Montreal in 2025. Ah, no… right.”
Following the influx of online abuse, Alpine were forced to post yet another statement condemning the actions of many online.
Lando Norris speaks out on Colapinto issue
Despite the frustrations of the situation, Norris took to social media early on Monday morning to issue an official statement. The reigning World Champion wrote in an Instagram story that Baku was a “disappointing” weekend for him and the team.
He continued by explaining his comments following the race, emphasising that he had already apologised and spoken to his rival.
“After the race, I sent Franco a message apologising for the comments I made that I simply should not have said,” Norris explained.
The McLaren driver took accountability for his comments, despite speaking out of frustration in the media pen.
“I know better, and emotions were running high, but that is not an excuse; it was wrong of me.
I’ve made mistakes of my own over the years, and I know this is very much a part of racing and fighting on the limit.”
Norris ended his statement by saying that he and Colapinto maintain a positive relationship heading into F1’s return to Malaysia.
“Me and Franco came to a good understanding, are still good friends and are both excited to get back racing this weekend.”
There will hopefully be no contact between the two in this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, held at Malaysia’s Sepang Circuit, a track Norris has never raced on in F1.
READ MORE: Alpine blasts online abuse after controversial Franco Colapinto clash
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