A collision on the restart in Baku
Franco Colapinto quickly accepted responsibility for the crash he caused at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but after the race he found an unexpected voice of support. Juan Pablo Montoya, the 51-year-old former Formula 1 driver from Bogotá, defended the Alpine driver and praised the determination he showed on the restart that ended with three cars out on the streets of Baku.[S1]
The Argentine was running tenth when the race resumed on lap 36 of the 51 scheduled, following a safety-car neutralization. At the first corner he tried to gain positions, but the maneuver went wrong: he hit his teammate Pierre Gasly, and the Frenchman in turn collided with Lando Norris's McLaren. All three were eliminated from the race.[S1]
After the incident, Colapinto acknowledged his mistake and apologized to everyone involved. Montoya, however, chose to focus on the sporting ambition that led the 23-year-old to take the risk. The difficulty in that situation, Montoya said on F1 TV, is that you are aggressive, you see an opportunity, and you have to admire it.[S1]
Montoya's technical reading of the maneuver
The Colombian former driver expanded his analysis and highlighted the Argentine's competitive mindset. He said he admires people who try, explaining that when a driver gets a restart it is seen as an opportunity, while some see a restart as a moment not to lose a position. He described Colapinto as the type who wants to go and seize it, and noted that when you are always the kind of driver, like Max Verstappen, who sees an opportunity to exploit, you are going to make mistakes.[S1]
Montoya also explained how he interprets the action from a technical standpoint. He said it was difficult because it seemed everyone was braking very early, and described the problem of arriving at a reference point at around 320 or 330 kilometers per hour and braking at the 120-meter mark, expecting that coming in at 200 you would brake at the 80-meter mark, adding that he believed Colapinto expected everyone to be much further along.[S1]
Even with the criticism over the outcome, the Colombian maintained that Colapinto came close to avoiding contact. He compared the situation to a traffic jam, saying that when you are that far back everyone keeps lifting and lifting, and that you see him brake and about to hit someone, so he moves aside and goes toward the inside. He said Colapinto nearly stopped the car, that he made a mistake and hit his teammate and also took out Lando, but that he was close.[S1]
The five-place penalty and Colapinto's apology
Formula 1 confirmed a penalty for Franco Colapinto over the incident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The stewards determined that the Argentine was responsible for the multi-car crash that eliminated Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris, so he must drop five positions on the starting grid for the next round, to be held next weekend in Sepang, Malaysia, for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which had been postponed because of the war in the Middle East.[S1]
To reach their conclusion, the judges reviewed television images, timing records and the cameras installed in the cars. In the official report they stated that the Argentine driver tried to move through the inside sector but entered the corner at excessive speed to keep control of the maneuver. They detailed that he went wide through the corner and made contact with the left side of Gasly, who then hit Norris, and both cars retired.[S1]
Colapinto acknowledged his responsibility for the crash, which left all three cars out of the race and, above all, both cars of a team that at that moment was scoring points with its two drivers. He said he locked up when he started braking and was then out of control for the whole braking phase, so he did not have much he could do. He asked the team and Pierre for forgiveness, calling it a big and serious mistake because they lost many points with both cars, and said the day had been going quite well and ended up being complicated, in his first remarks after returning to the paddock, speaking to ESPN cameras.[S1]
