Franco Colapinto will be starting the 2024 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix race from eighteenth position, ahead of the more experienced Kick Sauber duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, but nine places behind his teammate Alex Albon. Despite a promising ninth-place finish after the weekend’s third free practice session, the Argentine, who is competing in his first Formula 1 race with Williams Racing after having replaced Logan Sargeant following the American’s disastrous performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, found himself running wide through the second Lesmo. While the rookie was careful to avoid a more serious spin that would have likely put his FW46 into the barriers, his trip into the gravel wrecked what would have been his final flying lap. This saw him unable to set an improved lap time which ultimately led to him being out in Q1.
While speaking with media following his early qualifying exit, Colapinto stated that the FW46 had looked quite competitive going into qualifying and admitted that it had been his mistake at the end of Q1 that had cost him a higher position. However, he added that he believed that his mistake was simply “part of the process” and expressed eagerness to continue to work towards improving his understanding of the FW46.
“Yeah, it’s a pity. I think we were looking strong and after FP3, I had a good result. It was looking like we were quite competitive, and I was, you know, wheedling on and trying to understand more [about] the car.
“Unfortunately, I [made] that mistake that cost me a lot.
“But yeah, I think that it’s just part of the process and I need to keep working and looking forward. Let’s see how it is tomorrow [in] the race. It’s going to be long, but I’m looking forward to understanding better the car.”
He admitted that he expected the race to be tough due to his limited time in the FW46 but stated that he wanted to learn as much as he could from the session.
“It’s going to be tough. You know, I want to try to learn the most [that] I can from the session and try to understand more [about] the tyres. I think that is the most important part, and let’s see how it goes.”
The rookie Argentinian who, before his promotion, had been competing in his first full FIA Formula 2 season with MP Motorsport, also described his Formula 1 season as “fun” and “quick” and stated that he had been enjoying his experience, despite the heavy workload.
“Yeah, it’s really fun. It is so, so quick.
“And yeah, I’m enjoying it a lot so far. It’s, I think, a lot of things to take on and a lot of meetings and things to understand but that’s all going quite well.”
Colapinto continued, “I’ve just done a couple of laps so far in an F1 car, so it’s just the start.”
He added that he felt that the team had “good potential” and expressed his desire to improve over the remaining races, despite having had “a decent start” to his Formula 1 career. He added that he would be focusing on gaining experience and learning how to manage his tyres. He implied that Sunday’s race at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza would be a good opportunity for the development of his tyre management skills due to the hot weather predicted for the race.
“But I feel like we have good potential and that I have to do, of course, a step in the next couple of races. It’s been a decent start.
“It’s going to be a good few races to go, you know, and good to get experience here on how to manage tyres. It’s going to be really hot tomorrow and it’s going to be nice to understand how to manage the tyres.“
“And let’s hope to be strong,” Colapinto added.
When asked what he thought of the attention that came with being a Formula 1 driver at the Italian Grand Prix, Colapinto described it as having been “a very nice experience” but admitted that he would need to continue getting used to it.
“It’s a course that I’ve dreamt [of] since I was very young, so it’s been a very nice experience. Of course, I am looking forward to getting very used to it. It’s not something I was used to before, so there are a lot of things to keep adapting to.
“I want to keep working on it and let’s see how it goes.”
The Argentine was questioned further about his Q1 accident and described it as being a “little” but costly mistake. He explained that he had felt a bit of understeer while driving and dipped two tyres into the gravel at the double curve. He said that he had already been driving “on the limit” and was subsequently unable to keep his FW46 fully on track. He added that this incident had likely cost him a spot in Q2 as there had only been a very small gap between his fastest lap time and that of other drivers who had made it out of Q1. However, Colapinto acknowledged that such incidents were a part of developing as a Formula 1 driver and stated that he hoped to become stronger with time.
“I think I felt a bit understeer. I was quite on the limit at the lap, and I just dropped two tyres at a touch in that double curve and I couldn’t catch it back.
“So, it was a little mistake that cost me, of course, a lot. Maybe a chance because we were going into Q2 and it was only 1.10, so it’s a pity. But it’s part of it and I’m going to get much stronger soon, I think.”
He added that he had been feeling “good so far” but recognised that the upcoming race would be more challenging as there would be many laps to be done over a longer period of time. He sta
“It’s good, good so far. Of course, tomorrow there’s going to be a lot of laps in a row to do, but I think it’s a process. The body is feeling good so far. It’s not even really hot, but let’s see how I feel tomorrow.”
Colapinto was also asked about his teammate, Alex Albon, and his role in helping Colapinto become more familiar with the workings of Formula 1. The Argentine described his teammate as having been very helpful, noting his greater experience. He added that was nice to have Albon beside him and to be able to compare performance data with him.
“No, [he’s] been very helpful, Alex. Of course, he’s got a lot of experience, he’s very, very quick in other ways. It’s always really nice to have him next to me and be able to compare the data.”
The rookie driver also stated that it was important for him to go the race distance as it would be a good learning opportunity for him, especially for understanding tyre management. This, however, he admitted, would likely be the most difficult part.
“It is important, but I think it’s going to be a nice learning session for me to try and understand whether the tyres… I think it’s the most difficult part, and I need to keep understanding how the current tyres work and keep it in mind.”
