The resounding praise from one of Colapinto's mentors: 'He arrived to stay.'

Lucas Benamo is one of the people who knows Franco Colapinto best. The former driver from Bahía Blanca was his coach and mentor from a very young age, accompanied him in his arrival in Europe, and even managed his first test with a single-seater when the driver from Pilar was just 12 years old.

Today, at 40 years old, Benamo continues working on the development of young motorsport talents, such as Ignacio Montenegro (TCR Spain champion), and with drivers from Turismo Nacional. In a conversation with Infobae during the last race at the Oscar and Juan Gálvez Circuit, he spoke about the present of the native of Pilar.

His view on Colapinto in F1

Benamo was recently with Colapinto in Spain and noticed he was in very good physical and mental shape: "I see him very well. I think he made the most of this mini break they had and trained a lot. It did him a lot of good, and I see him very strong to face the last part of the year".

He highlighted his performances in Netherlands and Italy and emphasized that he is already in a position to fight head-to-head with Pierre Gasly, his teammate at Alpine: "I see him very solid, very close to Gasly, even beating him, which is what he has to do, so I'm very pleased with Franco's present".

He also referred to his continuity in the top category: "He's earning the right to stay. For me, because of his abilities, he's here to stay, so I hope Alpine gives him the opportunity".

How to spot and develop a talent

In another part of the conversation, Benamo spoke about spotting and developing new stars: "You immediately see him drive, or depending on the discipline, for example, in karting, you see him on track and realize he has talent", Benamo explained. According to him, kids are "like a sponge", and at each stage, they learn different techniques depending on the type of car.

Today, he considers technology a key factor: data acquisition, onboard cameras, and simulators allow drivers to improve faster than before. He also highlighted the importance of psychological work, since many times young people arrive with nerves or tension and need tools to regain calm and perform on track.