Franco Colapinto closed a poor weekend in Belgium

The Argentine pilot completed the 13th date in the mythical layout of Spa-Francorchamps, had a slow pace in much of the competition and ended 19º.

If someone wants to know how Franco Colapinto was in the Belgium GP, 13th F1 date, nothing better than transcribing their radio talk with the team in Tour 39 of the 44 agreed: “It’s like bicycle to 70 km/h … at 60”. The Argentine pilot closed a poor weekend in Spa-Francorchamps, far in the rhythm, being at times the slowest pilot on the track and losing clearly with Pierre Gaslyyour teammate.

Colapint was finally 19, a world of distance from the tip (95S250). The race was delayed at the beginning by the rain that fell in the circuit nestled in the Ardenas forest. Almost an hour and a half later, when the sun already shone in Spa, the competition was launched behind the security car, with the wet track. With intermediate tires, it was the time to walk the race for the Argentine Ex-Williams. As soon as the asphalt dried and put the smooth tires everything was complicated. Colapinto greatly and fast his rear tires and had to make a new stop, which finished complicating the race that was already definitely crooked.

The performance peak in the first smooth stint lasted just five turns. From there, and until the second detention, it was during much of the turns the slower pilot on the track. Without being able to follow those of front or be able to hold those behind. He lost with Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll … Finally, the second stop arrived, again returned with media and could not discount Carlos Sainz, who was 18º, despite the fact that the Spanish had hard tires in his Williams and with two more turns of use.

The wear of the average tires that forced him to stop again can have two explanations: o The tuning of the Alpine or the pilot’s great abilities. The ten who added points in Belgium made a single detention and nine of them (except Lando Norris) made a very long stint with the media. There Pierre Gasly was involved, who with the other Alpine, closed the score zone with the tenth place, defending his position against the constant attacks of Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hülkenberg.

The doubt remains, no matter how wear it had, if it was worth the second detention. Because that sent him directly to the 19th position. But without that other stop, and because of the poor rhythm he carried, perhaps he would only have stayed in front of Sainz, because he could hardly have contained the rivals who had fresh rubber.

Colapinto closed his sixth race with Alpine in Belgium and his seventh weekend (he did not leave at the GP of Great Britain). In the direct comparison with Gasly, the Frenchman in that period scored 13 of the 20 points he has, while Franco did not add and is the only grid pilot that did not leave zero. Both had reliability problems with the car: Colapint could not start in Silverstone and Gasly stayed outside the Belgium Sprint. For something Alpine is the last in the construction table and the difference with the rest is getting bigger. The Estone team reached 10 Haas points, the penultimate, and went to 15. The panorama for the team does not show a possible improvement to get out of the awkward position it occupies.

The Hungary GP will be played next weekend, The last appointment before the holiday stop of the summer boreal. For Colapinto, it will be extremely necessary to find that rhythm that he had almost no time since he went up as head of Alpine (except for some moments like in Canada). A convincing performance before the recess would be key to silence the noise around him about his continuity and be able to be quieter in his work with Team.