After coming off two great results (7th in Miami and 6th in Canada), Franco Colapinto did not hide his frustration after finishing 15th in a chaotic Monaco Grand Prix that was far from the expectations he had when arriving in the Principality. The Alpine driver considered that several factors played against him during a race marked by incidents, neutralizations, and strategies that ultimately affected his chances.
The Argentine had started from 14th position and managed to advance one place in the early laps thanks to Max Verstappen's retirement. However, he was never able to get close to the points zone in a race where overtaking was practically impossible again. "It was a very long race, really very frustrating because nothing went right", summarized Colapinto once the competition was over.
One of the key moments of his race was the five-second penalty for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane. When asked about that situation, he explained that it was not an isolated mistake on his part, but rather an issue that affected several drivers during the day.
“I think it's something with the system. We were using the pit limiter, but it seems to jump. There are many bumps here in the pit lane, and maybe that's why,” he pointed out. In addition to Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton were also penalized for the same infraction.
Beyond the penalty, the driver from Pilar lamented the series of events that ended up ruining a race that, in his view, could have offered some opportunity to gain positions, such as the red flag after the accident of Charles Leclerc.
"I started well, then I had some attempts there, but it's impossible to pass. We stopped early, lost two positions in the stop, and then no one else stopped. They brought out the red flag, changed tires during the red flag, and on the restart Fernando hit me (Alonso), which made me hit Hülkenberg. Then I hit Carlos (Sainz), who was going slowly in the middle of the track. It was a disaster", he analyzed.
On the other hand, Colapinto also pointed out one of the historical characteristics of the Monaco circuit: the impossibility of overtaking even when there is a significant pace difference between cars. "I think that's the sad part about racing here. It's great to qualify, but when the race comes, you can't pass and a car can go four seconds slower per lap and you still can't pass them", he stated.
"It was a very boring and especially frustrating race. We will have to review things and understand why some situations occurred", he reiterated.
Despite the poor result, Colapinto tried to quickly focus on what’s next. "It's a pretty special weekend here in Monaco. I'm leaving with frustration for not being a bit higher up, but we will try to come back better for the next one", he concluded.
