Colapinto Apologizes to Gasly for Costly Azerbaijan GP Collision
Franco Colapinto issued an apology following a collision with Pierre Gasly during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which dashed Alpine's hopes for a double points finish. The incident, which also involved Lando Norris, left all three drivers out of the race.
Franco Colapinto found himself making apologies after a rather costly mishap during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. A misjudged braking maneuver at a Safety Car restart led to an unfortunate collision with his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, and by a stroke of bad fortune, Lando Norris' McLaren was caught up in the mix too.
Alpine had been eyeing a promising double points finish in Baku, with Gasly holding P7 and Colapinto in P10 when Alex Albon's crash brought out the Safety Car. However, as the race resumed, Colapinto locked up heading into Turn 1, veering into Gasly's path and sending both Alpines spinning off the circuit. Norris, with nowhere to go, found himself an unwilling participant in this impromptu tango.
Reflecting on the incident, a dejected Colapinto said, "Just a bit of disappointment, for myself, for the team. Just a big sorry to all of them, to the factory, to Pierre of course." He acknowledged the costly mistake, noting, "We were both in a position to score points, it was a big day for the team and I did a big mistake. Big sorry, it shouldn't happen."
While Alpine had hoped to close the nine-point gap to Racing Bulls in the team standings, the collision instead widened it to 15 points as Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad managed a seventh-place finish. To add to the day's drama, Racing Bulls also had a collision between teammates Lindblad and Liam Lawson, though that incident concluded without any steward intervention.
Gasly, visibly frustrated but diplomatic as ever, commented, "I don't think I really have words and I don't need the words now. We'll manage it together as a team. I'm obviously very disappointed for all the guys, P7 and P10 was a very good race, good pace." However, he seemed resigned to moving on, adding, "Honestly I have no idea how to answer your question. Got to move on."
In the end, what could have been a fruitful day for Alpine turned into a lesson in damage control. As the dust settles in Baku, the team will need to regroup and focus on making amends at the next race.