The Spanish Grand Prix delivered positive results for Alpine and, especially, for Franco Colapinto. The Argentine concluded in Madrid one of his most complete weekends in the Formula 1 with a remarkable seventh place and his performance received a special recognition from Flavio Briatore, who highlighted both the result achieved and the goal that the team had set for the event.
The executive advisor of the French team emphasized that the team's priority was to finish ahead of Racing Bulls and reduce the gap in the championship. "The goal for the weekend was to place ourselves ahead of Racing Bulls and close the gap with them in the Constructors' Championship. We achieved that, so we can be satisfied with today's race result", Briatore stated.
However, the Italian leader also placed special emphasis on Colapinto's performance. The Argentine had reached Q3 on Saturday and then gained positions during the race, in addition to managing the tires during a long second stint after taking advantage of the Virtual Safety Car.
"Franco did a magnificent job throughout the weekend and scored six valuable points for the team", Briatore highlighted, thus acknowledging the performance of the native of Pilar on a circuit that, according to the driver himself, did not particularly suit the characteristics of the car.
The situation was very different for Pierre Gasly, who fell behind in qualifying and had to start from an unfavorable position. The team based in Enstone decided to keep the Frenchman on track for most of the race with the expectation of benefiting from a potential Safety Car in the final moments of the competition.
In this regard, Briatore explained: "Considering his position in qualifying and where he started, the only option we had to score points was to keep him on track and hope to benefit from a safety car in the closing stages. Just like other teams around us did".
The Frenchman ultimately could not benefit from that strategy and finished outside the points (12th). Nevertheless, Briatore considered that the collective performance allowed them to meet the goal set before the weekend began.
In addition to the sporting result, the Alpine leader praised the organization of the new Grand Prix held in the Spanish capital. "We must congratulate Formula 1 and the organizers for launching this new and spectacular race in Madrid, which I am sure will only grow and improve", he concluded.
Colapinto's Perspective
Like Briatore, the Argentine also positively valued what was achieved during the weekend and particularly highlighted the execution of the strategy and tire management. After the race, Colapinto expressed: "I am very happy with today's final result, with the seventh position and the six points earned for the team, especially because the layout of this circuit probably does not suit the strengths of our car very well".
Additionally, he explained how his race unfolded and the role of the Virtual Safety Car: "I had a very good start today, managed the tires well, and then maintained my position. The VSC came out and we made our pit stop to save time, just like other drivers around us did".
Regarding the long second stint, the Alpine driver said: "The second stint lasted until the end of the race, so it was very long and I had to defend my position at all times. I caught up to Gabriel (Bortoleto), but I lost a lot of time, although that probably wouldn't have meant we finished in a higher position".
