# Colapinto’s Baku Crash Forces Alpine to Reassess

- Topic: sports
- Source: [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12040/13592342/franco-colapinto-alpine-chief-flavio-briatore-to-decide-course-of-action-after-drivers-very-poor-azerbaijan-gp-crash)
- Published: 2026-09-27
- Original: https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12040/13592342/franco-colapinto-alpine-chief-flavio-briatore-to-decide-course-of-action-after-drivers-very-poor-azerbaijan-gp-crash
- Language: en
- Image: https://e0.365dm.com/26/09/1920x1080/skysports-franco-colapinto_7362323.jpg?20260927090335

## At a glance

- Colapinto’s brake lock at Baku’s first safety‑car restart triggered a chain‑reaction collision that eliminated Alpine’s Gasly and McLaren’s Norris.
- Alpine chief Flavio Briatore said he would reflect on what action to take after the crash, calling it a very poor move.
- Stewards converted Colapinto’s 10‑second time penalty into a five‑place grid drop for the next Bahrain Grand Prix because he retired.
- Front‑row drivers, including George Russell and Max Verstappen, argued a one‑race ban for such incidents would be too harsh.

## Sources

- [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12040/13592342/franco-colapinto-alpine-chief-flavio-briatore-to-decide-course-of-action-after-drivers-very-poor-azerbaijan-gp-crash)

## The story

During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto’s attempt to overtake from 10th place at the first safety‑car restart triggered a three‑car collision that sent Alpine teammates Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris out of the race. Colapinto locked his brakes and clipped Gasly’s side, which in turn clipped Norris’s McLaren, causing all three drivers to retire and costing Alpine seven championship points. Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore said he would take time to decide what action to take, calling the incident a “very poor” move and expressing disappointment that the team lost valuable points. The stewards ruled Colapinto was predominantly at fault, converting the standard 10‑second time penalty into a five‑place grid drop for the next race in Bahrain. Colapinto apologised to Gasly, Norris and the team, and accepted responsibility for the crash. Norris suggested a one‑race ban for drivers who cause similar incidents, a view that was rejected by other front‑row drivers. The incident highlights the risks of safety‑car restarts on street circuits like Baku, where limited runoff areas amplify the impact of small mistakes.

> Summary by Daily Read Bytes. [Read the original source](https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12040/13592342/franco-colapinto-alpine-chief-flavio-briatore-to-decide-course-of-action-after-drivers-very-poor-azerbaijan-gp-crash)