Franco Colapinto finished the Formula 1 Italian GP in ninth position, but left Monza with the feeling that he could have achieved much more. The Alpine driver admitted to making a mistake during the restart and apologized to the team after losing positions at an important moment in the race.
Read more F1: McLaren points out main challenge in debut at Madrid circuit
The Argentine was in fourth position after the red flag caused by Charles Leclerc’s accident and started the second part of the race side by side with Max Verstappen. Colapinto was overtaken by the Red Bull Racing driver at the entrance to the second chicane, before returning to fight for fourth position with Lewis Hamilton.
At the first Lesmo corner, however, Colapinto suffered a rear slide in the middle of the corner. Trying to correct the car, he completely lost control and ended up in the escape area, dropping down the classification. Despite the setback, he managed to recover to ninth place and scored two points, while his teammate, Pierre Gasly, finished seventh.
Read more F1: Verstappen and Lawson talk about uncertainty at the Spanish GP
Analyzing the episode, Colapinto acknowledged that the battle with drivers from the top teams increased his motivation and led him to take more risks: “When you are in the car, you don’t really notice if it’s one driver or another, but it was cool to fight with them,” he said, highlighting the opportunity to run close to the cars of the main teams.
The Argentine especially regretted having wasted such a rare chance to stay among the leaders: “We don’t have many of these opportunities to fight up front, and it’s even more frustrating to have moments like this. I think we should have scored more points, so I apologize to the team,” he added.
Read more F1: Hülkenberg shows enthusiasm for Madring: «A quick adaptation is essential»
