Alpine has reportedly decided against suspending Franco Colapinto following his major Azerbaijan Grand Prix mistake, meaning the Argentine is expected to remain in the car when Formula 1 heads to Malaysia. McLaren, meanwhile, is counting the cost of the Baku collision after losing limited new components fitted to Lando Norris’s car as part of an experimental package.
Franco Colapinto’s situation changed dramatically in a matter of moments in Azerbaijan. After scoring points in Madrid and reaching Q3 at Monza, the Argentine appeared to be strengthening his case for a potential contract renewal, notwithstanding his earlier excursion at Lesmo. One highly ambitious move in Baku, however, has put his position under renewed scrutiny.
Alpine reportedly drops Franco Colapinto suspension plan
At the restart following the Safety Car period, Franco Colapinto completely missed the apex and took out both Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and Lando Norris’s McLaren. It proved disastrous for Alpine, which left the weekend with no points while several of its direct rivals added to their totals.
Flavio Briatore did not hide his frustration after the race and even raised the possibility of suspending Franco Colapinto for the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, less than 24 hours later, PlanetF1 reported that Alpine management had changed its position and that the Argentine would be back in the car in Malaysia.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is being staged at Sepang as part of the revised 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
The threat of a suspension may instead serve as a warning ahead of any future discussions over Franco Colapinto’s contract, leaving Alpine in a stronger negotiating position after an error that significantly damaged an otherwise improving run of results.
The Baku incident has already generated wider consequences. Alpine subsequently condemned the online abuse directed at Lando Norris following the controversy, separating the sporting debate surrounding the crash from the unacceptable reaction it generated on social media.
McLaren counts cost of Lando Norris crash
While the Alpine garage was dealing with the consequences of its own disastrous afternoon, the situation at McLaren was hardly less painful. Lando Norris’s crash destroyed new components that had been introduced in limited numbers as part of an experimental development package.
“We’ll have to throw everything in the bin,” the reigning world champion told the media, visibly frustrated by the damage.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Lando Norris also called for Franco Colapinto to be suspended, extending that view to any driver responsible for a similar mistake. His comments triggered a major reaction from Argentine supporters.
Lando Norris subsequently apologised to Franco Colapinto and withdrew his harsh post-race criticism after receiving a wave of insults from Argentine fans.
For Alpine, the immediate consequence is that Franco Colapinto is expected to keep his place for the next race despite the threat of internal action after Baku. For McLaren, the effects are more tangible: valuable development components have been lost at a stage of the season when every new part can matter.
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