Franco Colapinto finished 12th on F1 debut at Monza
Williams Racing rookie Franco Colapinto secured a strong 12th on F1 debut at Monza. The Argentine racer signed with Williams to replace the struggling Logan Sargeant. The American had experienced a dip in form, apart from crashing too often all season. Williams signed the Argentine racer on the Tuesday of the race weekend, allowing him two days to get used to F1 racing conditions.
A hard-working racer, Colapinto’s talent shone across junior series. The Argentine won karting series at a young age. Although, he also raced in the European Le Mans Series during his early motorsport days. Two strong campaigns with VAR in 2022 and MP Motorsport in 2023 saw him step up to F2 in 2024. He would race at MP Motorsport alongside teammate Dennis Hauger.
Having learnt the ropes initially, Colapinto began to turn up the speed. He took a maiden Formula 2 win in the Imola sprint, passing Paul Aron on the final lap. Furthermore, second at Spain and Austria highlighted Colapinto’s potential, as he rose up the standings to sixth, accumulating 96 points.
Colapinto’s steady introduction to F1
With experience of multiple series under his belt, Colapinto’s transition into F1 proved smoother than expected. A pair of 17th places highlighted how he learnt the ropes on day one in the sport.
It’s never easy for any rookie to be quick right from the outset, thus explaining the pace differential to teammate Alex Albon. However, Colapinto eventually showed his true pace in the final practice session, finishing ninth. He was one position behind Albon, only three tenths separating the Williams pair.
An excellent first impression for the Argentine driver, and he fancied his chances ahead of qualifying later on. Colapinto’s first lap was strong, putting him in the shout for a Q2 appearance.
However, as he attempted to improve his lap time, Colapinto went wide into the second Lesmo curve. Going off the track saw him kick up plenty of dirt. Unfortunately, Colapinto was forced to abandon his lap, and would start 18th ahead of the two Kick Sauber cars.
Colapinto’s F1 race debut – Rising to P12
With teammate Alex Albon starting ninth on the grid, Williams knew their car had the pace to compete for points. This would come in handy for Colapinto, who started down in 18th on the grid.
The Argentine had raced all of eight consecutive laps in the FW46 all weekend, during free practice. Therefore, 53 laps around a revised Monza would be a daunting challenge for the debutant.
Yet, Colapinto drove a measured race, keeping it clean all the way through. Starting on medium tyres, he gained places as Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg experienced problems. Colapinto steadily moved up to 16th after the first round of pit stops.
However, his best moment would be midway through the race, when he made an overtake on Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. With the benefit of DRS, Colapinto eased into turn one, moving past the Frenchman into 15th.
He would gain further ground as cars ahead pitted, moving up into 12th. This put him only two positions behind teammate Albon on the road, who chased down Kevin Magnussen ahead.
While Albon would eventually finish ninth, elevated thanks to Magnussen’s penalties, Colapinto would finish an excellent 12th on the road.
“The race was physically tough as I’m a bit tired and sore now but there are plenty of positives to take,” – FrancoColapinto said after the race.
The road ahead for Franco Colapinto in F1
Colapinto’s excellent 12th on debut ensures he leaves Monza on the right note. However, his biggest tests will be around the upcoming races at Baku and Singapore.
The Argentine driver has never raced at either circuit in single-seaters. This leaves him with the tough challenge of getting up to speed around the circuits in F1 trim. While Baku’s tight confines can catch out even the finest, Singapore’s humidity will be a true test of Colapinto’s endurance.
Colapinto will have plenty to do ahead of the upcoming race weekend, training hard to ensure his neck can take on the immense g-forces of F1 cars. He will have to spend more hours on the simulator at Grove, preparing for the rounds ahead.
All in all, a debut weekend to be proud of for the 21-year-old from Pilar. Do catch him racing for Williams once again, when F1 returns in Baku in two weeks time!
