Norris demands ban for Colapinto after Baku crash as Russell wins

George Russell won a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, holding off Max Verstappen to take victory in a 51-lap street race that finished with five cars out.

The race turned at a restart. A restart is when the bunched field is released together after a safety car period, and it often decides positions in one corner. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto locked his brakes, slid into teammate Pierre Gasly, and Gasly was then knocked into Lando Norris. All three retired on the spot BBC.

Norris was furious. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Give him a ban. It’s quite simple.” He said Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, should be stricter with careless driving that causes crashes, arguing a driver who causes a collision at a restart should miss at least one race.

Colapinto accepted blame. He said he locked up and was out of control. The stewards gave him a 10-second penalty, which will become a grid drop at the next race because he had already retired. Gasly said he was “crushed”, with both Alpines out while running seventh and 10th.

That double retirement hurt Alpine in the midfield fight. Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad finished seventh in Baku, and his team stretched its lead over Alpine in the battle for fifth in the constructors’ championship to 15 points.

Baku claimed other victims too. Valtteri Bottas retired after hitting the barriers late on, and Alex Albon also failed to finish Formula 1. Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez had already been hit with penalties affecting the starting grid before lights-out.

What makes this stand out is the contrast. At the front, Russell kept his nerve to beat Verstappen. Behind him, one locked brake wiped out three cars and shifted the maths of a season-long team battle.