Lando Norris has spent years being the calm one, the driver who takes the hits and moves on. That changed this weekend. After being wiped out of a race that wasn't his fault, Norris didn't just criticize the move. 

During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix lap 36 safety car restart, the Alpine driver, Franco Colapinto, locked up heading into Turn 1. He hit his teammate Pierre Gasly, who hit Norris, ending all three drivers' Grand Prix prematurely. 

However, things did not end there. While speaking to Sky Sports in the media pen after the accident, Norris let out his frustration. 

"I just got taken out," Norris told broadcaster Sky Sports. "There’s just some drivers that shouldn’t be in Formula 1, to be honest."

Norris did not hold back from outlining the consequences for drivers causing such an incident. 

"I've not seen it, but if you cause a crash in a restart like this, you should have at least a one-race ban. I just got taken out. And the FIA should be stricter by starting to hand out bans for this kind of stuff."

The stewards moved quickly, handing Colapinto a 10-second penalty for causing the collision. However, since the Argentine failed to finish the race, the time penalty could not be served; it has been converted into a five-place grid penalty for Malaysia. 

The reigning World Champion had tough luck at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend, starting from fifth. He had a lock-up earlier in the race that dropped him further to eighth. 

For Norris, the penalty may settle this incident, but his call for tougher action could have a much longer impact on how restart crashes are punished. 

Lando Norris looks forward to the Malaysian Grand Prix as his title bid takes a hit

Norris hadn't retired from a race since Monaco. That streak is over now. Eight consecutive rounds in the points, gone in an instant at Turn 1. 

For a driver defending a world title, the timing couldn't be worse. It leaves an already slim championship chance looking even slimmer. 

Just weeks ago, the picture looked very different. Norris had won in the Netherlands. He'd won in Hungary too. McLaren were closing in on constructors' leaders Mercedes, and the momentum was building. Baku changed that. 

While talking to the media, he opened up about the positives of the weekend as he looks forward to the Malaysian Grand Prix. 

"We won two and should have won three of the last four races," Norris admitted as reported by Formula One on their website. "Plenty of positives, obviously not this weekend… not quick enough. We knew that. We're going to be in for another tough few weekends, I imagine. Maybe Malaysia is a better one for us." 

Two more rounds remain in the triple-header: the Bahrain Grand Prix, then Singapore under the lights. Neither will be easy. 

The penalty is confirmed. The points are gone. And for Norris, the title fight just got a lot harder to win. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco