Franco Colapinto, with an important change in Azerbaijan
After the strong blow that the Argentine suffered in Baku’s fourth curve during the classification, Alpine determined a modification before the race.
Franco Colapinto’s blow during the Q1 of the Azerbaijan GP, 17th F1 date, was strong. In the last attempt launched from the Argentine to try to achieve a time that would allow him to reach Q2, the Alpine pilot lost control of his A525 right in the same place where his teammate, Pierre Gasly, had just passed by. With the Frenchman on the escape route, Colapinto said that it generated some distraction, and ended against the wall, hitting first with the rear train and then with the striker for the whipping that made the car in the impact.
Colapinto had no physical consequences, but his car was quite damaged. So much that the team communicated that the Argentine will run the race with the spare chassis. “After yesterday’s incident in the classification in curve 4 and the resulting damage in the A525, Franco Colapinto will take the spare chassis and a spare exchange box for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The race will begin from the 16th position of the grill,” was the statement of Alpine.
The clarification about the starting position is because Franco will not receive any penalty for the changes that the Estone team will make. “The forward part hit hard. You will have to try the new chassis in the race, hopefully everything goes well. I tried the armchair and everything is fine,” said the Argentine with AM850, at noon from Baku.
The Argentine will not be the only one with spare chassis in Baku’s career. Oscar Piastri, World Cup leader, will also do so after McLaren discovered irreparable damage in the MCL39 of the Australian, who crashed in the third curve, during the Q3.
