Franco Colapinto could not hold back his emotion after the Italian Grand Prix of Formula 1 in Monza. The Alpine driver was very frustrated by a mistake that compromised a race in which he believed he had the conditions to fight for an even better result.
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After a very strong restart, Colapinto entered the fight for positions close to the podium, but lost control of the car in turns 5 and 6 and ended up in the runoff area. The incident dropped him to 16th position, although he managed to recover and finish ninth, while Pierre Gasly crossed the line in seventh.
In an interview with ESPN Argentina after the race, the Argentine showed how much the episode affected him: “It was a difficult race, very frustrating. I think I had a great opportunity and didn’t take advantage of it, so I’m sad, sad about that. It could have been a great race, but I made a big mistake,” he said.
Colapinto also highlighted that the opportunity was important both for him and for the team: “A very important opportunity for the team and for me was lost. I’m a bit sad. I just need to learn from this,” he added.
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Later, speaking with other media outlets, the Argentine driver explained that he had not yet fully understood the reason for the loss of control. According to him, the car slipped suddenly and aggressively, taking him at high speed to the runoff area and causing significant damage.
“I just completely lost the car in turns 5-6, kind of out of nowhere. It’s very frustrating,” he reported. The Argentine even thought he would have to retire, but Alpine managed to adjust the car through the tools available in the garage, making it a bit more conservative and with greater drag. Even so, Colapinto managed to get back on track and score points, although the result did not lessen the frustration over the possibility, which in his assessment, existed for the team to achieve a double podium.
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