Briatore apologises to Norris after Colapinto's cold-tyre crash ends McLaren star's Azerbaijan race
Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore has publicly apologised to Lando Norris and McLaren after Franco Colapinto locked up on cold tyres at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix restart, triggering a three-car collision that eliminated Norris, Colapinto and Pierre Gasly.
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Flavio Briatore issued a public apology to Lando Norris and McLaren on Monday after Alpine driver Franco Colapinto caused a three-car pile-up during the safety car restart at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, ending the 2025 Formula 1 champion’s afternoon before it had properly begun.
Colapinto locked up on cold tyres approaching Turn 1, collected his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly, and the resulting impact pushed Gasly into Norris’s McLaren. All three drivers were eliminated on the spot, costing both teams significant championship points.
Briatore addressed the incident via Instagram, describing Colapinto’s move as “very poor” and offering a direct apology to the McLaren camp. “I’m disappointed with the outcome of the Azerbaijan GP, knowing we lost valuable points,” he wrote. “I feel very sorry for the team and for Pierre… My apologies also go to Lando and McLaren for ruining their race. I know that Franco has taken full responsibility for it, as he should. We now have to look ahead and make sure these things do not happen in the future.”
Colapinto, 23, had already fallen on his sword immediately after the race, offering an unreserved apology to everyone at Alpine. “It was a big mistake,” he said. “A big, big sorry to Pierre, to everyone in the factory that has been working really hard. We lost a lot — well, a position where we had both cars in the points. Very sad and disappointed. Cold brakes, cold tyres. Locked up and completely out of control. Unfortunately, I also took Pierre out and Lando. But big sorry to both.”
The incident is a costly one for Norris in particular, given his status as reigning world champion and the tight nature of the 2025 constructors’ battle. For Alpine, losing both cars in a single moment of driver error represents a painful squandering of what had been a promising points-scoring opportunity.
Attention in the paddock now turns to the Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for 2-4 October at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
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