Franco Colapinto was not the only driver affected by a controversial decision from the stewards at the Dutch Grand Prix. Arvid Lindblad received the same penalty as the Argentine for a virtually identical maneuver and, after the race, also questioned the severity of the punishment.
The situation occurred at the end of the first lap, immediately after Max Verstappen's heavy crash at turn 14. As the yellow flags were displayed, Lindblad was attempting to overtake Pierre Gasly, just as Colapinto was doing with Yuki Tsunoda a few meters behind. Both overtakes occurred in a sector under double yellow flags.
The stewards decided to penalize both drivers with a drive-through and two points on their respective licenses. In Lindblad's case, the penalty also left him without a chance to fight for points, just as it did for Colapinto. "I think the penalty was a bit harsh. I think we can all agree it was quite extreme. But well, it is what it is. There's no point in speculating about it now", said the Racing Bulls driver after the race.
When asked if the stewards should have taken greater consideration of the particular circumstances of the incident, Lindblad made an even more direct criticism of the criteria used. "I think the reality is that, if you look at my onboard camera, I mean, what was really so wrong? I don't know. I felt that today they were more trying to set a precedent than really assess the infraction and determine an appropriate penalty. So yes, I really don't know, I don't want to say too much", he stated.
The stewards' reasoning behind Colapinto's penalty
The officials analyzed various elements before determining the penalty for the Argentine. According to the document published after the race, they reviewed "the positioning/marshalling system data, video footage, timing records, and onboard camera images".
According to their verdict, "car 43 was behind car 22 when entering turn 14 and overtook car 22 in the sector with double yellow flags, before the line located at the end of lap 1".
The stewards also explained that the infraction would normally have warranted an even harsher penalty. "Normally, an infraction of this type requires a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, but the stewards acknowledge the complications caused by the significant amount of debris on the track at that time and take this into account as a mitigating circumstance".
When Colapinto will race again
After his challenging participation in Zandvoort, the Argentine, who will now have the upgrades to his A526 that Alpine developed during the summer break, will seek to recover at the Italian Grand Prix. Activities at the legendary Italian circuit will begin on Friday, September 4 with the first free practices and will conclude on Sunday, September 6 with the main race.
Previously, the native of Pilar had two races at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The first was in 2024, in his debut as a full-time driver for Williams, where he finished 12th, while the second was last year, already with Alpine, where he crossed the finish line in 17th position.
