Russell and Verstappen back Colapinto after Norris criticism

George Russell and Max Verstappen have disagreed with Lando Norris' call for Franco Colapinto to receive a race ban following their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Colapinto locked up at Turn 1, during a Safety Car restart and hit his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly. The frenchman was then unable to avoid Norris, with all three drivers forced to retire from the race.

Norris called for Colapinto to receive a one-race ban, but Russell and Verstappen believe such a punishment would be too harsh.

“Safety Car restarts, cold tyres, a very small mistake can have big consequences,” Russell said, while Verstappen described a race ban as “a bit much”.

Colapinto was given a 10-second penalty, which was converted into a five-place grid penalty for the next race in Malaysia because he retired from the Baku Grand Prix.