In his only appearance on Dutch territory driving in the top category, Colapinto narrowly missed the points zone with an 11th place.
Schedule for the Dutch GP
Friday, August 21
FP1: 7:30
After finishing 15th, the Argentine driver commented that he never found the expected performance at the Hungaroring and is now looking to take advantage of the break before Zandvoort
In his only appearance on Dutch territory driving in the top category, Colapinto narrowly missed the points zone with an 11th place.
Friday, August 21
FP1: 7:30
Sprint Qualifying: 11:30
Saturday, August 22
Sprint: 7:00
Qualifying: 11:00
Sunday, August 23
Race: 10:00
*all times are in Argentina
Franco Colapinto finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in a modest 15th place in a race where he could never find the rhythm to advance. After getting out of the A526, the Argentine analyzed a complicated competition, explained what happened at the start, and acknowledged that the main problem was the behavior of his car.
The Alpine driver assured that the start was not as bad as it seemed at first. "I think I started well", he stated, although he explained that in the first few meters he fell behind his teammate Pierre Gasly and that ended up affecting his race.
He detailed that upon reaching turn 4, he braked very close to the Frenchman and the car became unsettled. "The car moved a lot when I braked behind Pierre very closely. I was very slow, but it slipped and I went a bit off track and lost two positions", he recounted. That maneuver caused him to fall back in the pack and, from then on, he was stuck behind other cars for a good part of the race.
Beyond that incident, Colapinto made it clear that the main issue was the lack of performance of his Alpine. "It was a shame, after that I was stuck behind them for the whole race. I still didn't have the rhythm", he explained.
The Argentine even hinted at the possibility that the car may have suffered some mechanical issue, although he emphasized that they will still need to investigate what happened. "I don't know if something very strange broke, because I was going very, very slowly and with the balance that was costing me a lot, sliding a lot, slipping at the back, front, I had no grip at all this race", he pointed out.
Additionally, he stressed that the situation did not improve even with the tire changes during pit stops. "You have to understand a bit the reason, why. When I put on the new tire during a stop, I also didn't have much grip, so the rhythm was lacking a lot and we need to understand why", he insisted.
With the Hungarian Grand Prix, the first part of the Formula 1 season concluded before the summer break. However, Colapinto will not immediately start his vacation, as he will stay a few more days at the circuit to participate in tests with Alpine.
"I'm going to rest a bit, I think it's good to hold on and start again", he commented about the break. Before disconnecting, he explained that he will conduct a test to continue getting to know the car's performance: "A few more days to learn a bit more about the car and then relax a bit".
After the race on Hungarian soil, Formula 1 will take a break for the summer holidays. In this sense, the category will return in one month with the Dutch Grand Prix. Action at the Zandvoort circuit will kick off on Friday, August 21 with a single practice session and the qualifying for the Sprint, and will close on Sunday, August 23 with the main race.