Franco Colapinto, about Alpine: “It cost me more than in Williams”

The Argentine spoke in the previous GP of Austria, 11th F1 date, about the difficulty found in the management of A525. In addition, he expressed himself about his partner Pierre Gasly and his love with the Red Bull Ring.

LHe bequeathed the GP of Austria, the border that initially put the Alpine team to Franco Colapinto in the official statement that was issued when he was anointed as head of the team in replacement of Jack Doohan. “After reviewing the first races of the season, we have decided that Franco is behind the wheel with Pierre during the next five races,” were the words of Flavio Briatore, Mandamás del Team, in the announcement shown by Estone’s team after the Miami GP. In the passing of these five competitions, Italian himself did not know his words and assured that there were no deadlines. The 11th F1 date in Spielberg will finally be one more, because Franco’s continuity seems to be in doubt.

“I don’t focus on the weekend as if it were the last race,” said the Argentine in the press at the press at Red Bull Ring. “Today there is a lot of pressure on the F1 and everyone focuses on each weekend. Contracts break very easily. Beyond whether they are ten, two years or five years, they last what they want them to last. It is a very good experience to have returned to F1 and I think I enjoyed it, there is much to come, a lot to learn. I am happy to be where I am the last weekends were very good to understand the car more and where you have to go with the set up and improve in my handling. It cost me more than in Williams, adaptation was not easy and fast. It is not an easy car, it is complicated to handle and for my style it did not adapt so much. I was working at the factory and the simulator to understand the path you have to go. As long as we continue working, things will be better little by little. For now they were good careers you have to continue working to understand what to improve. There were complicated and hard times and the team was supporting me and I am obviously very grateful to that. Now the light is being seen at the end of the road and gives us the hope of finding positive things along the races, ”he added.

The Canada GP, the previous appointment, was a step forward for Colapinto. After a very lazy Friday, he made a great advance on Saturday and got into Q2. Something similar had experienced in the GP of Spain. “You have to focus first on having the car on the window that I want and I need. It is what we did in Canada and Barcelona. In Spain, when the classification arrived, I was in front of my partner and that is why we learned in the weekend. But the ideal is to get a little earlier before. We will work to be firmer from the beginning. Fridays were not good for me so far and the improvement arrives on Saturday in the third session and in the qualy, but it is late. We need to have a good weekend, ”explained Williams Expile.

With respect to its four races already played with the Escudería de Estone, Colapinto said: “It is very early to evaluate my work in four races. The important thing is to understand the areas in which you have to improve and the areas in which I must be better. In general I am feeling better with the car and that is the focus, understand well to improve. The last two weeks were good to know where I can do more, where I can improve my handling.

The Spielberg circuit is a special place for Colapinto. There he won with the European regional formula in 2021 and went up to the podium with the F3 in 2022 and with the F2 in 2024. And, as if that were not enough, it was precisely in Austria where James Vowles, director of Williams, announced that he would turn in the first free training of Silverstone with the English Team car. “I was good here in F3 and F2 and here I learned that I was going to drive in Silverstone. Good memories in general. It has many fast curves and me usually like me, in the slow curves I bore me and my car do not like them. It is a short circuit and you have to do everything perfect for the qualy to go well. It is very difficult not to make mistakes. Make up because the differences are very short.

Finally, he talked about his relationship with Pierre Gasly, his partner: “He is a good kid, he has a lot of experience in the F1 and with the car, who is difficult to handle. When I see his data from the previous seasons and the On Board cameras it shows how his handling was changing to adapt. Its management from 2023 is very different to now. He modified and accommodating what the car needs, but took time. It’s what I have to do and I’m trying to bring the car to what I like. ”