Franco Colapinto Aims to Gain Points in Second F1 Debut Race

Franco Colapinto had a dramatic weekend at the 2024 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, from colliding with the barrier in Free Practice 1 to finishing in the final segment of qualifying in his second race appearance.

Former F2 driver Franco Colapinto, who replaced Logan Sargent at Monza last season, slid at relatively low speed and crashed into the wall in FP1, leaving Williams’ mechanics scrambling to repair his car in time for FP2 on Friday.

However, on qualifying day, the Argentinean driver regained his composure and confirmed his top-10 pace in FP3 to finish ninth on the grid in his second Grand Prix. Teammate Alex Albon was tenth on the grid, but this was after a freak incident in Q3. Albon went out on track with the exhaust fan of his Williams FW46 still in the airbox.

“I think we recovered well from the small mistake in FP1,” Colapinto said. “I think I made up for that mistake. The team is really happy. I think I drove well every lap. On the last lap there was something wrong with the car and I struggled a little bit. Every lap. Then I had a difficult moment with the rear tyre that started sliding and I damaged it at the beginning of the lap, so I struggled with that problem.

“But I’m very happy with the session. I was able to focus when I needed to and I was able to advance to Q3, which was a big, big goal for me. With each lap I’m getting used to the car and the team and I’m feeling more comfortable, so I think we’re going in the right direction and making the necessary steps to score points tomorrow.”

Colapinto became the first Argentine driver since Carlos Reutemann to qualify in the top 10 since the 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix. But when asked if he could become the first Argentine driver since Reutemann to score points in the same Grand Prix, Colapinto replied: “Well, if I’ve come this far, I think I can stay!”

“We’ll see. But I think we had a really good pace in Monza. There’s still a lot to learn. I couldn’t do a long run because of a mistake in FP1, so obviously it will be felt tomorrow, but tonight with the engineers I’ll look at the data, you just have to look at everything and understand where you can improve.”

Williams are aiming for a fourth point in the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Alex Albon finished 9th in the last race in Monza.

Category: Formula 1 / Franco Colapinto / Williams Racing / F1 Azerbaijan GP