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Franco Colapinto has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the Malaysian Grand Prix following the multi-car collision he triggered in today's Formula 1 race in Baku.
The Azerbaijan race was neutralized by a safety car after Alexander Albon crashed just past the halfway mark. However, during the subsequent restart, Colapinto locked up monumentally on the inside of the first corner. The Alpine driver careened into his teammate Pierre Gasly, who in turn collided with Lando Norris's McLaren.
An incensed Norris called for Colapinto to be banned from racing, though it should be noted he made this comment before seeing a replay of the incident. The stewards, however, opted to impose a 10-second penalty, which they converted into a five-place grid drop for the Sepang race, as the culpable driver failed to finish today's event.
“The stewards reviewed video footage, timing data, and onboard camera footage,” read the stewards' report.
“Following the restart, Colapinto approached Gasly from behind before Turn 1. Colapinto braked too late and entered the inside of the corner at a speed that did not allow him to take it in a controlled manner. He missed the corner and made contact with the left side of Gasly, who then hit Norris, with both cars retiring.”
“The stewards determined that Colapinto was wholly or predominantly to blame for the collision. Although the incident occurred on the first corner after a restart, there was no contribution from another driver that would justify applying the more lenient first lap/first corner approach.”
“The standard penalty for causing a collision is a 10-second sanction. As Colapinto retired from the race and therefore could not serve the penalty in time, the stewards converted it into a 5-place grid drop for the next race in which the driver participates, in accordance with Article B1.9.6.(E) of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.”
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