After sharp criticism: Norris apologizes to Colapinto

McLaren's Lando Norris has apologized to Franco Colapinto after stating that some drivers "have no business being in Formula 1."

Norris made these comments after Colapinto triggered a multi-car pile-up at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix over the weekend, which ended the reigning champion's race.

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Norris Apologizes

"After the race, I sent Franco a message and apologized for my comments, which I simply shouldn't have made," Norris explained on his Instagram account on Monday.

"I know better, and emotions were running high, but that's no excuse; it was wrong of me. I've made mistakes myself over the years and know that's very much part of racing and fighting at the limit," the Briton continued.

Colapinto Braked Too Late

After the race restart following a Safety Car period, Colapinto braked too late into the first corner and crashed into his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, whose car then pushed Norris's car into the barriers.

As drivers tried to avoid the accident, Arvid Lindblad also spun his Racing Bulls teammate, Liam Lawson.

"I was simply taken out," Norris told "Sky Sports" after the race. "Honestly, there are just a few drivers who have no business being in Formula 1."

Colapinto called it a "big mistake" and apologized "to both," referring to Gasly and Norris. Colapinto received a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision.

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Grid Penalty at Next Race

Since he did not finish the race, this could be converted into a grid penalty for the race in Malaysia, which is classified as the Bahrain Grand Prix.

"Franco and I have reached a good understanding; we are still good friends and both look forward to racing again this weekend," Norris added on Instagram.

Norris is now 116 points behind the overall leader, Kimi Antonelli.