Franco Colapinto and José María "Pechito" López have several things in common: both are figures inArgentine motorsport, live in Monaco, celebrate birthdays together, and shared a team and boss in the past.
Both are connected to the teamRenault (now known as Alpine) andto Flavio Briatore. However, their paths were very different. While the young man from Pilar managed to secure a starting seat, the man from Córdoba was only a reserve driver and left with a bad memory.
Pechito estuvp en Reanult y fue dirigido por Briatore
After his recent victory in the 6 Hours of São Paulo of the WEC, in the LMGT3 category, Pechito spoke with Carburando and was blunt about his relationship with the historic Italian advisor: "I didn't want to see Briatore anymore," he said. He explained why: "He was my manager at the time, along with Bruno Michel's right-hand man, and they put Piquet in because I don't know if he came with Telefónica, Brazil, or I don't know what he brought."
The man from Córdoba compared himself to the Brazilian Nelsinho Piquet, who raced in F1 between 2008 and 2009, and added: "In the tests, I was always ahead and performing well. There was never an explanation or anything, the GP2 teams they put me in were always bad... I didn't end up with a good relationship, I don't have the best opinion of Flavio."
Although he acknowledged the businessman's ability ("He is a very capable person and made Renault work"), López strongly questioned his return to Formula 1 after the Crashgate scandal. In that scandal, Briatore had been suspended for life after ordering Piquet Jr. to crash on purpose to benefit Fernando Alonso in the 2008 Singapore GP, but years later he was pardoned.
Briatore fue parte del Crashgate de 2008
"After what he did... One can't understand how they let him back in and he's just walking around the paddock like that. He has a record that everyone knows. He's not my kind of person," he concluded.
His relationship with Colapinto
About Franco Colapinto, who also signed with Alpine and settled in Monaco, Pechito showed himself to be close and willing to support him: "We're neighbors, but he's never around. We go out cycling, I keep him company a bit so he's not alone. I was alone at the start of my career, so I try to help him in that sense."
Pechito y Colapinto salen a dar paseos en bicicleta
In a relaxed tone, he revealed a funny anecdote: "He likes to ride a bike, so we go out. Last time he showed up with a pair of bike shorts with a hole in them, I had to give him a new one, ha. He's a character. You see him from the outside, but he's a kid, he's 20 years old."
