Flavio Briatore considers Franco Colapinto action after 'very poor' move at Azerbaijan GP

Alpine star Franco Colapinto is already facing punishment from the FIA for his part in a multi-car collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and there could yet be further repercussions.

There is no indication as to what those might be at this stage, but speaking following the race in Baku on Saturday, Alpine chief Flavio Briatore confirmed that he was set to take the time to reflect on the incident and 'consider what course of action should be taken' so that the team can avoid the same failings in the future.

The incident in question occurred on lap 36 of Saturday afternoon's race, with Alpine looking on to score double points at that stage, with Pierre Gasly in P7 and Colapinto in P10 as the safety car ended on lap 35.

However, by the end of the next corner, both of the Alpine cars were out of the race, along with McLaren's Lando Norris, after Colapinto misjudged his braking into turn one, crashing into his team-mate, who consequently slammed into Norris.

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Briatore on 'very poor' Colapinto crash

Colapinto immediately held up his hands and apologised for his mistake, and the FIA acted swiftly, handing him a 10-second time penalty that will be converted into a five-place grid drop at the next race in Malaysia.

However, Briatore confirmed post-race in Baku that there may yet be more consequences so that the team can learn from the incident and ensure nothing like it happens again.

“Obviously I'm extremely disappointed with the outcome of today's race, knowing we lost valuable points in the championship fight," Briatore explained after the Azerbaijan GP. "These sort of incidents shouldn't happen, particularly when we were running well with both cars in point-scoring positions.

"I feel very sorry for the team and for Pierre who did a great job all weekend and my apologies also go to Lando [Norris] and McLaren for ruining their race. I know that Franco has taken full responsibility for it, as he should; in fact he braked far too late considering the context of the race and the safety car restart.

"It was a very poor move for a driver of his experience. I want to take time to reflect on it and consider what course of action should be taken, so we can learn from it and avoid such a situation in future.”

Championship ramifications for Alpine

While the damaged car parts will no doubt be a financial hit for the team, it was a costly incident in terms of Alpine's fight in the constructors' championship too.

Every place and the millions that come with them are crucial in F1, and the Enstone-based outfit entered Saturday's race just nine points behind Racing Bulls, who they are fighting for P5.

However, after scoring zero points in Baku, Alpine have now fallen further behind their rivals, who now lead them by 15 points heading to Malaysia after Arvid Lindblad secured P7 in Azerbaijan.

There is still time for them to turn that around, of course, with eight rounds of the season still to go.

READ MORE: Lando Norris calls for FIA bans after Azerbaijan GP crash: 'Not driving that deserves to be in F1'

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton calls for Ferrari investigation after Azerbaijan Grand Prix flop

Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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