Franco Colapinto completed one of his best performances of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Argentine driver finished eighth at the Catalan circuit, earning four points for Alpine and expressed satisfaction with the performance shown by the team throughout the 66 laps.
After the race, the driver from Pilar analyzed one of the strategic decisions that marked his competition: the team order to give up his position to Pierre Gasly. Rather than questioning it, he supported the determination made from the pit wall. "It was a team decision. They can see the race from another perspective and I suppose it makes some sense. We scored points with both cars, so it was a very positive day", he explained.
Nonetheless, he acknowledged that an incident towards the end affected his chances of achieving an even better result. "Obviously bad luck with the Virtual Safety Car that came after many blue flags and letting many cars pass", he pointed out.
Despite that setback, Colapinto made a favorable assessment of the weekend and highlighted Alpine's progress compared to previous races. "It was a positive race and overall we are obviously satisfied with the team's performance", he stated.
In addition to referring to his own performance, Colapinto also celebrated one of the standout moments of the day: Lewis Hamilton's first podium as a Ferrari driver. "It surely excited many. I think it is a historic day for the sport, for Formula 1, that Lewis has achieved his first podium with Ferrari, which is the brand with the most history and aura in Formula 1. And the driver with the most aura as well", he expressed.
The Argentine even went further in emphasizing the significance of the British driver's achievement. "He has the best numbers in the history of Formula 1, the idol of many. Today is a day that many will celebrate and it will surely go down in the history of the sport", he added.
With an eye on the future, the Buenos Aires native has already started thinking about the next destination on the calendar. "We need to work for Austria to make it better, to feel the car a bit better and keep pushing forward", he concluded.
When Colapinto will race again
After returning to points in Barcelona, the Argentine begins his two-week preparation for his next challenge: the Austria Grand Prix. Action at the Red Bull Ring will start on Friday, June 26 with the first round of free practices and will conclude on Sunday, June 28 with the main race. In the last season, the native of Pilar finished 15th at this circuit.
