Verstappen and Russell defend Colapinto after controversial crash | OneFootball

The accident involving Franco Colapinto at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix sparked divided opinions among Formula 1 drivers. While Lando Norris called for a suspension for the Argentine, Max Verstappen and George Russell felt that a penalty of that level would be excessive.

Verstappen, who finished second in Baku, explained that these kinds of situations can happen during a restart, especially with cold tires and the limited grip available. The Dutchman also appreciated that Colapinto acknowledged his mistake and apologized after the incident.

Russell, the race winner, spoke along the same lines. The Mercedes driver argued that a suspension would be “too harsh” and said that one-race penalties should be reserved for intentionally dangerous or reckless actions.

Their comments came after Norris, one of those affected by the crash, harshly criticized the Argentine’s move and called for the FIA to be stricter with these types of incidents.

The FIA ultimately determined that Colapinto was responsible for the accident and handed him a five-place grid penalty for the next race. The penalty was issued because the Argentine had initially received a ten-second penalty, but could not serve it after retiring from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Colapinto also publicly took responsibility for what happened and described the mistake as serious, after the incident left both Alpines and Norris’s McLaren out of the race.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.