Colapinto vows to give team ‘nice reward’ after Imola qualifying mayhem
Franco Colapinto’s long-awaited Formula 1 debut for Alpine took a dramatic and unfortunate turn on Saturday during qualifying... The post Colapinto vows to give team ‘nice reward’ after Imola qualifying mayhem appeared first on F1i.com.
Franco Colapinto’s long-awaited Formula 1 debut for Alpine took a dramatic and unfortunate turn on Saturday during qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The Argentine rookie, who replaced Jack Doohan after a string of underwhelming results from the Aussie in the first six races, found himself at the center of a chaotic session that included a pitlane protocol breach, a high-speed crash, and ultimately a grid penalty.
Despite the setback, Colapinto remained composed in the aftermath, reflecting on a session that promised much but ended in frustration.
Pitlane Misstep Leads to Grid Penalty
The drama began following a red flag caused by Yuki Tsunoda’s crash. As the session paused and teams prepared for a restart, Colapinto made an error that would cost him on Sunday.
Before the restart time was confirmed, the young Argentine drove into the fast lane of the pitlane – a breach of the Race Director’s event notes.
“The team representative stated that he gave the instruction for the car to creep out but not be fully released,” the stewards stated. “The driver misunderstood the instruction and entered the fast lane before the restart time was officially confirmed, in breach of the Race Director’s event notes.
“Once this was done, it was too late to reverse course and the team instructed the driver to proceed down the pitlane.”
The result: a one-place grid penalty. Colapinto, already set to start toward the back after his own crash, will now begin Sunday’s race from 16th.
However, there’s also a high probability that the Alpine debutant will launch his race from the pitlane should his team opt to make significant set-up changes to his A525.
Costly Crash Dampens Encouraging Progress
Colapinto’s qualifying woes didn’t end with the pitlane infringement. While pushing hard during his flying lap in Q3, the 21-year-old lost control at Tamburello and slid off track, bringing an abrupt end to his session.
Though the crash was a blow, Colapinto later received medical clearance and focused on the positives.
“My first lap was quite a bit under the limit, but was still quite competitive and there was a lot more to come,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“So, it's just a pity – a very costly mistake. Of course, sorry to the team that they have been doing a great job on making me a bit more comfortable with the car.”
Despite the tough debut, Colapinto acknowledged the learning curve involved and remained optimistic about his performance and the team’s support.
“It's just tough when it's like this – first race – but I'm sure we'll come back stronger. The team has a bit of work now overnight. I'm just very sorry for that, but I'm sure we'll give them a nice reward tomorrow.”
Having completed only limited laps before the incident, Colapinto pointed out that the crash belied the steady progress he and the team were making over the weekend.
“Of course it's not what you want, especially in your first quali. But I think the team has been very supportive,” he said. “I enjoyed working with them and we have been pushing in the same direction. I'm learning [about] the car on every lap I'm doing.”
“I still have a lot to learn. I'm sure doing the race tomorrow is going to help me a lot to get a bit more used to the degradation, get a bit more used to the car, to the engine and to many other things that are different to what I was used to.”
Despite the misfortunes, Colapinto remained grounded and determined, believing that the overall adaptation process was heading in the right direction.
“So, yeah, it looks really bad. But it's not as bad as it looks in terms of how I've been adapting to the car. I'm quite happy and much more comfortable in the seat than what I was yesterday. So, that's how I feel.”
Sunday’s race will offer the Argentine a fresh opportunity to bounce back—and perhaps provide that “nice reward” he hopes to deliver to Alpine after a turbulent Saturday.
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The post Colapinto vows to give team ‘nice reward’ after Imola qualifying mayhem appeared first on F1i.com.
