Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore has stated that the team will deliberate on the appropriate response after Franco Colapinto’s error triggered a three-car collision during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Briatore described the incident as “very poor” and confirmed that management would take time to decide on a course of action.
The crash occurred during the first Safety Car restart. Attempting an ambitious move from 10th place along the inside line into Turn One, Colapinto locked his brakes and struck the side of Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly. The impact sent Gasly broadside into Lando Norris’s McLaren, eliminating all three drivers from the race.
The incident proved expensive for Alpine, costing the team seven championship points. Gasly had been running strongly in seventh place at the time of the collision. Meanwhile, Arvid Lindblad’s late-race seventh-place finish allowed Racing Bulls to extend their lead over Alpine for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship to 15 points, with eight rounds remaining in the season.
In a press release, Briatore expressed his frustration, noting that such incidents are unacceptable when both cars are in point-scoring positions. He acknowledged that Colapinto had unreservedly accepted responsibility, stating that the Argentine driver braked far too late given the context of the restart and his level of experience.
“Obviously I’m extremely disappointed with the outcome of today’s race, knowing we lost valuable points in the Championship fight,” Briatore said. “I feel very sorry for the team and for Pierre… I know that Franco has taken full responsibility for it… I want to take time to reflect on it and consider what course of action should be taken.”
Colapinto was issued a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Race stewards had originally assigned a 10-second time penalty but converted it after Colapinto retired from the race. The stewards ruled that Colapinto was wholly to blame, noting that while the crash happened at the first corner after a restart, there was no justification for leniency.
McLaren driver Lando Norris called for a one-race ban for Colapinto immediately after the incident. However, his team boss Andrea Stella emphasized the need for drivers to exercise common sense, particularly on street circuits with limited runoff areas. “I think when you drive in Formula 1… you just should be capitalising on this experience,” Stella said.
Other drivers pushed back against Norris’s suggestion of a ban. Race winner George Russell called the idea “too harsh,” describing it as a small mistake with large consequences due to cold tires and a Safety Car restart. Max Verstappen, who finished second, agreed, noting that the driver had apologized and that lock-ups on low-grip surfaces are an unfortunate part of racing. Third-place finisher Isack Hadjar also disagreed, pointing to bumpy track conditions outside the racing line and the difficulty of generating tire temperature after a slow Safety Car procession.
Does Briatore really need time to decide? The driver admitted fault immediately. Something has to be done to prevent this.
Verstappen is right though. Cold tires and a bumpy street circuit make this a dangerous situation for everyone.
A five-place penalty feels insufficient. That wasn’t just a lock-up; it was a total lack of braking discipline on restart.