F1: Franco Colapint
The Argentine pilot Penó in Montreal with the lack of engine power in the lines, plus a risky strategy, and ran out of the adding chance.
Positive and negative. Strange, but real. This was the balance of the Canada GP, the tenth date of the year of F1, for Franco Colapinto. The Argentine pilot managed to unlock in Montreal, a phrase that came out from the mouth of Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s mandamás. In the semi -permanent of Gilles Villenevue the best version of Buenos Aires in 2025 was seen, much closer to that of the first four races with Williams of 2024 that so attracted the attention of the world of the category. Especially, because after a difficult, slow and forgettable Friday, he managed to reverse it on Saturday (along with the work of engineers) to round a great classification. Now, It is difficult to point out the closure of the visit to North America if when itching from the tenth drawer, 13th arrived at the flag of paintings and left without points. However, Collapinto had little to do with that.
Two hours before starting the race, the Alpine pilot spoke and left a sentence that, finished the tenth race of the season, would charge greater relevance: “We do not have the best speed in line because the engine is not what we want, but it is what there is. We will try to maximize that, we have a good car.” It is known since the hybrid era began there by 2014 that Renault had the less powerful power unit of the four suppliers that supply the formula 1. In 2022 the freezing in the development of the engines was determined, to reduce costs, and began to consider the change of regulations that will finally arrive in 2026. The rombo requested a special treatment in the FIA due to the weakness of the FIA due But the teams denied. Depending on what brand it compares, the false can reach 25 HP. And in Canada’s semi -permanent fast that felt.
Alpine’s lack of speed was evident. Not only because Colapinto gave ground with how much rival was approaching, his partner Pierre Gasly, who started from boxes because the team broke the closed park in search of a change to move forward from behind, nor could he compete. There is a fact that responds clearly: one of the first decisions Briatore made when he arrived last year as the executive advisor of the Team was to close the plan of its own engines and become a Mercedes client in 2026.
When inside doors are known about their own weaknesses, ways of twisting history are sought. Colapinto started the race with middle tires and on Vuelta 15 stopped in boxes. The team made him hard and sent him to the track until the end. The plan was risky, no doubt. That collided with two issues: those who went hard and stretched their arrest, such as Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman. In addition, he also found pilots on the track who worked greatly to help his teammate, as happened with Sauber. Colapinto ran into Gabriel Bortoleto, who managed to retain each attack of the Argentine, while Nico Hülkenberg opened an increasingly ahead light.
At that time Alpine’s reaction was noticed. Maybe add another stop, get rid of Bortoleto, whom he could not overcome because he had much more speed in his Ferrari engine, and arrive with a better rest at the closure. It could have been, but from the team they did not change. That only made him lose more and more ground and get away from the chance of the points.
Colapint had been excited with the points and seemed possible after his great step forward in the classification, but Alpine is far. The Team signed in Canada his seventh race without points of the ten played, barely scored 11 (all of the hand of Gasly) and his last place in the Constructors Cup is nothing more than the faithful reflection of the news that he is going through. With the eighth place of Hülkenberg in Montreal, they already took nine points to those of Estone in the lower part. The French brand already thinks more about 2026 than in 2025. 14 races are left to close the year, a path that in the papers seems tortuous.
Canada was positive and negative for Colapinto. Personally, without a doubt, one step ahead on Saturday, at a time when it was already beginning to be looked at side, and the point of arriving in Austria, the next appointment, which will mark the initial term of five races that marked the Argentine as a horizon. His “unlocking,” as Briatore said, arrived at the right time. The rest, the most negative, is that today he handles the worst car in the category. And that, at least in the papers, seems difficult to change.
