Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore is considering whether further measures are needed after Franco Colapinto’s crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which triggered a chain reaction and ended the races of teammate Pierre Gasly and world champion Lando Norris.
Colapinto’s mistake came immediately after a Safety Car restart in Baku, with the Argentine driver braking too late and crashing into Gasly’s Alpine.
The impact sent Gasly into McLaren driver Norris, who was subsequently forced into the barriers and retired from the race.
The incident has already resulted in a sporting penalty for Colapinto, but Briatore’s comments indicate that Alpine could also review the incident internally.
Briatore leaves door open to further action
Speaking after the race, Briatore suggested Alpine would take time to assess exactly what happened before deciding whether any additional measures were necessary.
“I want to take time to reflect on this and consider what measures should be taken so that we can learn from it and avoid such a situation in the future,” said the Italian.
Briatore was particularly critical of the timing of Colapinto’s error, given that the team had both cars in a strong position after the Safety Car period.
“I know that Franco took full responsibility for it, as he should have; in fact, given the race situation and the restart after the safety car period, he braked far too late. That was a very bad maneuver for a driver with his experience.”
The comments suggest that Alpine wants to understand why the mistake occurred rather than simply treating it as an isolated racing incident.
Colapinto accepts responsibility for crash
The incident unfolded on lap 36 when the Azerbaijan Grand Prix restarted following a Safety Car period.
Colapinto approached the braking zone behind Gasly but was unable to slow his Alpine sufficiently. He hit his teammate, with Gasly then making contact with Norris.
For Alpine, the consequences were particularly damaging because both cars had been running in the points.
“Incidents like this shouldn’t happen, especially since we were doing well in the race with both cars and were running in the points. I feel very sorry for the team and for Pierre, who did a great job all weekend, and I also apologize to Lando and McLaren for ruining their race,” Briatore said.
Colapinto also accepted responsibility for the mistake, acknowledging that his error had ended a potentially productive afternoon for Alpine.
Norris calls for penalty as Colapinto is punished
Norris was understandably frustrated after being caught up in the incident despite having no opportunity to avoid the collision.
The McLaren driver, who was forced to retire from the race, subsequently called for Colapinto to receive a penalty for causing the crash.
The stewards agreed that Colapinto was responsible and handed him a five-place grid penalty for the next Grand Prix in Malaysia, adding a further consequence to an already costly afternoon.
The penalty means Colapinto will start five positions lower than his qualifying position in Malaysia.
For Alpine, however, Briatore’s comments indicate that the matter may not end with the stewards’ decision.
The team now has to assess whether changes are required to prevent a similar mistake from happening again, particularly as it seeks to maximise opportunities to score points with both cars.
With Colapinto having already admitted responsibility, the focus inside Alpine is likely to be on learning from the incident and ensuring that a similar restart situation does not produce another costly double setback.
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