Franco Colapinto misses out on Q2 for a minor error at Monza

A lukewarm start. Franco Colapinto made his grand debut in Formula 1 this weekend in Monza. On a circuit which, luckily for him, is far from being the most difficult on the calendar. The lateral forces and physical intensity are lower than in Singapore or Qatar. The ideal place, therefore, to drive a Formula 1 car on a first Grand Prix weekend.

If his first free practice session was difficult, ending more than seven tenths behind his teammate, the Argentine was able to gain confidence as the laps went on. He never stopped closing the performance gap between him and Alexander Albon. So much so that he finished just three tenths behind the Thai driver in the last session, with the ninth best time. He could therefore legitimately hope for good things in qualifying.

A lap in the gravel at Lesmo

But everything did not go as planned. In his last attempt, the newcomer in the discipline was too aggressive in the Lesmo turns and went too wide. Towards the gravel. Without damage, certainly. But the attempt had to be aborted. In the end, he did not make it past Q1 when there was space to participate in the second part of the qualifications. Enough to leave him with some regrets.

« It was special to do my first qualifying session in F1. I enjoyed every moment of the weekend so far. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake during my second attempt, which prevented me from doing a good second lap, he analyzes.

Towards a comeback in the race?

« It was promising, as I was well placed after my first run and, of course, I was trying to take a step forward in my second attempt. The car was very competitive and I think it was possible to make it to Q2 today. However, it is just the beginning and there are things I still need to work on, even though I have only done a few laps in an F1 car. I am a little frustrated right now, but I know there is a lot of potential, and the team has worked hard to make the car suit me a bit better.

Williams could move up in the pack thanks to its top speed. Several times this weekend, it exceeded the 350 km/h mark. However, the Argentine will need to keep his cool. He must not get carried away at the risk of ending his race in the gravel or in a collision.

« It will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the car and tires, as well as the management of a full race in F1. Let’s see how it goes.