Baku Fallout: Norris Calls for Colapinto Ban, Gasly 'Crushed' as Russell's Narrow Win Enters F1 History

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has sparked significant controversy in its aftermath, with Lando Norris leading calls for Franco Colapinto to receive a race ban following a multi-car collision at a restart that eliminated both Norris and Alpine's Pierre Gasly from the race. Norris was blunt in his assessment, suggesting there are "some drivers that shouldn't be in F1" and stating that Colapinto's actions warranted a ban. Colapinto has since responded to Norris's hard judgment of the incident.

Gasly, who had led the midfield throughout the race and was running seventh at the time of the safety car restart, was left devastated by the pile-up. "I cannot believe it, so many points gone," was his immediate reaction, with Motorsport.com reporting that the Alpine driver described himself as feeling "crushed" by the loss of what had been a strong points-scoring opportunity.

Meanwhile, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli endured a far more difficult afternoon than his celebrated Monza victory, admitting he had been "driving like my grandmother" in Baku after tagging the wall in qualifying left him facing another comeback race. The contrast with his sensational Monza win was stark.

At the front, George Russell took a lights-to-flag victory, holding off a late challenge from Red Bull's Max Verstappen by the narrowest of margins — a gap small enough to place the result among F1's top ten closest finishes, according to both Autosport and Motorsport.com. In the cooldown room, Russell and Verstappen also took the opportunity to comment on Ferrari's lack of performance during the race.