Franco Colapinto reflects on a difficult F1 debut with Alpine and looks to regroup for a stronger showing in Montreal this weekend.
Franco Colapinto finally had the opportunity to spend a week working at the factory to debrief his debut with Alpine F1, following a triple-header of races across Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona. The Argentine driver acknowledges that these first three outings in blue and pink were far from easy.
“It was difficult. Of course, they didn’t live up to my expectations. I was hoping to make a bit more progress after Imola, but it’s always tough coming back to F1 after six races away,” Colapinto said.
“The other drivers learned a lot about tire management, and when you’re not driving, it’s really tricky. But I think the break was really good — this week off to reconnect with the team.”
“To regroup and understand the issues, figure out what we need to do better, where we’re lacking pace, and where I can improve as well. So it was a good thing. I think it was a good break, and I hope it helps us be more competitive now.”
The Argentine outlines the contrast between his current experience at Alpine and his nine races with Williams last year: “It’s very different. When I joined Williams last year, that was my only point of comparison. I had never driven another Formula 1 car.”
“So I couldn’t really compare it to anything else — but now I can. At Alpine, I’m learning a lot. There are a lot of positives. There are also some differences. The car also drives very differently, and it’s just about getting used to it and figuring out how to master it.”
Colapinto admits that taking a break had become essential after a stretch of races marked by various issues and challenges: “I think it’s always useful to take a short break after two races.”
“It’s always hard to approach a triple-header because you don’t have enough time to change things. I was used to something very different, and I didn’t have enough time between races to reflect, learn, and fully understand what we needed to do.”
“I’m convinced this break has been beneficial for us. I hope it helps us get some performance back. I hope I can rediscover some of the confidence I had in the car last year and find a way to push a bit more.”
Now, he must learn Montreal and admits it will be another challenge: “I think three practice sessions are enough to learn the track. Of course, getting up to speed quickly will be very helpful because we have a lot of things to test and we need that time during free practice.”
“I hope we can build pace quickly and see where we stand. But yes, it’s a sort of street circuit, and that always brings a bit more excitement for us as drivers. At the end of the day, driving an F1 car here, on a circuit with such history and significance in the sport, is really cool.”
He also detailed the areas of focus since the Spanish GP to improve after three difficult races: “We’ve worked on a lot of things. In general, there were things that didn’t work for me in terms of setup.”
“I felt almost out of sync with everything — with the tools in the car, with the setup. One thing was fighting against the other. Once we understood that after the race in Barcelona, it made a lot more sense. I think I’m coming here with a bit more confidence.”
“I’ve spent many days in the simulator, many days at the factory with the engineers, so I can understand. I hope we’ve made a step forward. We need that step, so hopefully we can make it here.”
