After the Abu Dhabi GP, the Argentine driver achieved a record that highlights his solidity behind the wheel despite the mostly negative results throughout the year
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Franco Colapinto finished his first full year in Formula 1 with a fact that's more valuable than it seems: he completed all 18 races he contested during the season without a single retirement. In a category where mistakes, collisions, and mechanical issues are commonplace, avoiding the dreaded DNF ("Did Not Finish") is an achievement that reflects solidity and maturity behind the wheel.
Only George Russell matched that statistic, as he was the other driver who managed to reach the checkered flag in every race on the calendar.
Colapinto no tuvo DNFs en la temporada
The Argentine got into the A525 starting from the Imola Grand Prix (the seventh on the calendar), when the car was already showing wear and a sporting year that had started off on the wrong foot. Far from fighting for points, the Buenos Aires native chose to capitalize on each race with Alpine through consistency: without major mistakes, avoiding incidents, and bringing the car to the finish. This marks significant progress compared to the previous season with Williams, where he retired on three occasions.
This record is not affected by two particular situations: the accident in the Interlagos Sprint or the mechanical failure at Silverstone, which resulted in a DNS (did not start). Neither of those episodes corresponds to the main races, so the 18/18 streak remains intact.
When Colapinto will race again
After the last race of the year in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 will go on break until next year. First, there will be a preseason with three testing sessions: one in Barcelona (from January 26 to 30) and two in Bahrain (from February 11 to 13 and from February 18 to 20).
In that regard, the official calendar for the category will only begin in March with the Australian Grand Prix, which will take place from March 6 to 8 at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
