Franco Colapinto revealed that he spoke with Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, about his penalty during the Formula 1 Dutch GP, the last round.
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Both the Argentine and Arvid Lindblad received drive-through penalties for overtaking during a yellow flag period right after Max Verstappen’s accident. It turns out that the Alpine driver was against the penalty, while the competitor’s main sponsor publicly questioned the decision.
The governing body issued a statement disapproving of the online attack on stewards and after everything that happened, Colapinto spoke with the official during a recent visit to Buenos Aires. “We talked with Mohammed; we spoke with him two days ago. He was in Argentina, so it was great to meet him when he was there,” he explained.
“The president of Argentina was present, as well as the president of the FIA; it was amazing to see them all there and realize the interest that the FIA and Formula 1 have in this. I think it’s excellent that they understand and recognize the value of having Argentina back on the calendar; holding a race there again would be fantastic. I am very grateful that they took the time to go there and hold this meeting. It’s something great for the country and also for the sport, thinking about the future, I hope. I’m very happy they went, of course,” he continued.
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“As for the penalty, that’s already in the past. We can read the regulations: the stewards do their job and follow the established rules. Personally, I maintain the same opinion; nothing has changed since Zandvoort. I think, naturally, we will talk about it. We always talk about many things. We will probably meet some of the stewards. I think they always want to talk. But I also understand their point of view. If you read the regulations, the penalty is correct.”
“Personally, I don’t agree with it, but, I repeat, that’s part of the game and we are not the stewards. However, the focus now is here in Monza and trying to do our best,” he concluded.
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