Argentine Foreign Minister responds to call to disqualify Colapinto rider

Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Kirno publicly condemned the demand of McLaren pilot Lando Norris to disqualify Alpin representative Franco Colapinto. The British rider took this step after the incident at the Azerbaijani Grand Prix, insisting on the exclusion of the Argentine from the race for at least one stage.

The conflict situation arose on the 35th lap immediately after the restart. Colapinto blocked the wheels before the first arc, resulting in contact with his partner Pierre Gasley. The incident also affected Norris. All three participants in the accident were forced to stop speaking. As a result of the proceedings, the stewards found Colapinto guilty, punishing the loss of five starting positions at the next stage of the championship.

After the race, Norris said that the actions of the Argentine deserved a harsher punishment - disqualification. In response, the Argentine foreign minister recalled the conflict between Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, posting a screenshot of that episode on social media. Thus, Kirno made it clear that there is a double standard in evaluating similar situations.

Also on calls Norris responded to the reigning champion of Formula 1 Max Verstappen. He called the proposal to disqualify Colapinto excessive, noting that such clashes are an integral part of motorsport.