Flavio Briatore has strongly criticised Franco Colapinto after the Argentine triggered the major restart collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, revealing that Alpine will now consider what action to take internally. The team boss also apologised to Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris and McLaren after the incident destroyed a major points opportunity for Alpine in Baku.
Colapinto has already been handed a five-place grid penalty for the next race, but his more serious concern could now come from inside Alpine. Briatore described the mistake as a “very clumsy move” for a driver of Colapinto’s experience and said he wants time to decide what measures should follow.
Franco Colapinto facing Alpine scrutiny after Baku crash
The FIA did not go as far as McLaren driver Lando Norris had demanded following the Azerbaijan GP collision. Norris called for Colapinto to be banned from the next race, while the sporting sanction ultimately became a five-place grid penalty.
The greater danger for Colapinto may now come from Alpine itself. His braking error at the Safety Car restart eliminated both Alpine cars from contention and also ended Norris’ race, costing the Enstone team a significant opportunity to score points in its fight with Racing Bulls for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Briatore ‘extremely disappointed’ after Alpine loses valuable points
What made Flavio Briatore’s reaction particularly striking was that the comments were not delivered spontaneously in the immediate aftermath of the race. They were included directly in Alpine’s official post-weekend communication to the media, which is normally far more measured in tone.
“I am obviously extremely disappointed with the result in Baku, even more so because we lost valuable points in the championship fight,” Flavio Briatore said. “This type of incident should not happen, especially when both our cars are well positioned and capable of scoring points.”
Before the restart accident, Alpine had been enjoying a strong race and appeared capable of turning a difficult weekend for Racing Bulls into an important gain in the Constructors’ standings.
Briatore apologises to Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris and McLaren
Briatore was particularly disappointed for Pierre Gasly, who had put together a strong Azerbaijan GP weekend before being caught in the collision initiated by his team-mate.
“I am really sorry for the team and for Pierre, who did an excellent job throughout the weekend,” Briatore added. “My apologies also go to Norris and McLaren, because we ruined their race.”
Colapinto accepted responsibility for the incident after the race, something Briatore acknowledged. However, the Alpine boss was uncompromising when assessing the mistake itself.
“I know Franco has taken full responsibility, as he should. He braked far too late in the context of a restart after the Safety Car. It was a very clumsy move from a driver of his experience.”
Alpine could take further action against Colapinto
Briatore stopped short of saying exactly what Alpine might do next, but made clear that the matter is not considered closed simply because the FIA has already imposed a sporting penalty.
“I want to take the necessary time to reflect and assess what measures should be taken, so that we can learn from it and prevent a situation like this from happening again,” he concluded.
The comments leave Colapinto facing uncertainty over whether Alpine will impose any internal consequences following one of the most damaging errors of his season.
Colapinto already under pressure before Azerbaijan GP
The Baku incident follows another difficult episode involving Colapinto during the build-up to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Earlier in the week, the Argentine became involved in controversy surrounding online abuse directed by some of his supporters towards Pierre Gasly and people close to the French driver. The situation became serious enough for Briatore to warn that Colapinto could stop speaking to Argentine television if the behaviour continued.
The latest episode is considerably more direct from a sporting perspective. Alpine had both cars in a position to score valuable points before the restart, only for Colapinto’s braking mistake to eliminate the team’s opportunity and involve Gasly and Norris in the accident.
Colapinto has accepted responsibility and will already carry an FIA penalty into the next Grand Prix. Whether Alpine decides that an additional response is necessary now rests with Briatore and the Enstone management.
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