Franco Colapinto analyzed his debut in the 2026 Formula 1 season after finishing 14th in the Australian Grand Prix, a race that was conditioned by kicked off by a sanction that relegated him to the back of the platoon
.
The Argentine driver received a "stop-and-go" for a violation in the starting procedure, caused by an error by the Alpine team in the moments before the start. The penalty, one of the most severe in the regulations, forced him to go through the pits, stop in his garage for 10 seconds without the mechanics being able to touch the car and then return to the track, wasting a large amount of
time and positions.
After the race, Colapinto explained how he experienced that moment that marked his career. “A stop-and-go, crazy. A shame, I think the team touched the car with 15 seconds left. I didn't quite understand what happened yet. But nothing, things to work on, to improve everyone,” he told the media.
The Argentinian also recalled the tense moment in the first few meters, when he had to avoid Liam Lawson's RB, who had been stuck on the straight line. “We could have been left lying there at the start, I don't know what happened to Lawson. Luckily we finished the race,” he said
.
The sanction left him unable to fight positions and the rest of the race became an endurance exercise to complete 58 laps. Even so, the Pilar driver stressed that the pace of the car was slightly better than in the classification: “We were more competitive, closer to the Haas and the Audi,”
he said.
“I think we also need to understand energy a little more and how cars work with less fuel. But it was a long day, I think it's difficult in general. I made a good start, but hey, then we got complicated with all that. So let's get to work, but I think we're going to be a little stronger soon,” he closed
.
When Colapinto returns to racing
After a difficult debut in Australia, the Argentine driver will resume action next weekend with the Chinese Grand Prix, between Friday 13th and Sunday 15th of March at the Shanghai International Circuit
.
