“One mistake killed my chances”: Colapinto looks back at Monza with mixed feelings
Written by Bo Helmus
Alpine had a strong weekend in Monza. Both cars made it into Q3, even grabbing pole with Pierre Gasly. In the race, they held up nicely, and secured double points. Whereas that sounds like a weekend to remember, Franco Colapinto is left with an unpleasant aftertaste.
‘What could have been?’ is probably what the Argentine has been asking himself for the last couple of days. He started the race from the fourth row, but quickly moved up. At the restart after the red flag just 23 racing kilometres later, he lined up in fourth position. He overtook Max Verstappen for a podium position into the first corner, but lost everything in Lesmo One.
Heartbreak
Colapinto looks back at the Italian Grand Prix with mixed feelings: “I still was upset for a few days. It doesn’t happen very often that you have the opportunity to fight with the top teams and the top guys, and to be around McLaren and Ferrari, Red Bull. It’s been nice and it’s a good feeling, different motivation to be fighting suddenly for the podium at the start, and it was very cool.
“It was my first experience doing it, but it was very cool and a very different feeling. I think what we are looking for with the team. So personally, it was a very good weekend and a very good step forward. Of course, the mistake killed my chances and opportunities, so I was upset and frustrated. But then it was a good recovery in the race. Hopefully we can do the same soon and be fighting with the top teams.”
Racing in Madrid
There’s not much time to dwell on the past, as the next race is already coming up. We will be racing on the Madring, a new addition to Formula One’s calendar. The Argentine used to live in Madrid, so this is half of a home race for him: “Really excited to be back here in Spain, in Madrid.
“The second race of the year in Spain, which is very exciting. Madrid does feel like the closest to home, especially because of all my previous experiences and how I started in Europe and how I started in Formula racing. I started here in Madrid, so to be racing here in Formula 1, it’s a dream come true.
“I think it’s very good for the sport as well, you know, to have another big city like Madrid being back on the calendar and putting a very exciting track. It looks like a very good one to drive as well. It’s going to be cool. So, looking forward to tomorrow and to the weekend.”
Reality check
The A526 was absolutely flying at Monza, but the Madring will be very different. Will Alpine be able to excel here as well? “I think it’s going to be a bit more difficult,” Colapinto says. “Monza suited really well our car and the places where we were strong, especially straights, but also the low-speed corners, where we were quite good there.
“And then I think the upgrade did bring us a lot. That upgrade in Zandvoort was very positive for the car. It put the car in a much better window and, again, we could deliver a much better performance in Monza. So, I think still a lot of work to do, but hopefully we can translate it into a good weekend here in Madrid as well and have a quick car.”
Fighting spirit
Alpine has been scoring points consistently throughout the season. The team finds itself halfway up the scoring board, sitting in sixth place out of 11. The Racing Bulls are their closest competitors. Will they be able to overtake them in the standings?
“I think our main focus is to be in front of them,” the Argentine says. “And that’s why it’s a very good improvement that we’ve done in Monza, that we were clearly stronger. And it’s the direction we need to keep pushing for.
“I think the upgrade came at the right time because we were struggling slightly and we were lacking pace compared to them and to Audi, and that put us again, I think, slightly in front. So, again, we need to try and understand how the pace is here related to them, but in Monza we were definitely quite fast and, hopefully we can keep in front and keep scoring more points.”
Comments