Franco Colapinto’s reckless inside manoeuvre at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s Turn 1 flung Alpine teammates and McLaren’s Lando Norris from double‑points contention.
On the safety‑car restart, the Argentine lured himself to the inside, braking too hard and locking up. He collided with fellow Alpine Pierre Gasly, who then careened into Norris at the exit, rupturing a costly chain‑reaction that forced both teams to concede the race.
Priestley rails against the move, defends Norris’s appeal
Speaking to the BBC’s Chequered Flag Podcast, former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley called the action “outrageous,” noting that Colapinto had come from “so far back” and “got it miles wrong.” Priestley admitted the incident was a one‑off error, saying a 10‑second penalty that later became a five‑place grid drop for Bahrain would suffice. He urged restraint over punitive measures, arguing that bans should target consistent breaches of standards.
Norris’s reaction retracted, Colapinto faces grid penalty
Norris, after the crash, warned that the Argentine should face a race ban but subsequently stepped back, issuing an apology for his initial outrage. The stewards upheld Colapinto’s 10‑second punishment and turned it into a five‑place grid penalty for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, a move that keeps the penalty proportional to the loss suffered by Alpine.
"