Still upset about having let one of his best opportunities slip away in the Formula 1, Franco Colapinto spoke again about what happened in Monza and explained the emotions that led him to break down after the Italian Grand Prix.
During an Alpine event in Spain, ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, the Buenos Aires native reviewed the race and acknowledged that the feelings after the mistake were hard to control. "It's hard to explain, it came from within. I am like that, I hide nothing. It was a difficult moment, I was anxious throughout the race because you feel it was a unique opportunity", he explained.
During the race on Sunday in Monza, Colapinto had reached third place with the updated A526, until a slip at one of the edges of the circuit completely changed his race. The Argentine fell to sixteenth place, although he managed to recover and crossed the finish line in ninth place.
Beyond the points earned, the driver himself admitted that the blow was strong due to the context in which it occurred. "I had never been among the top three fighting for a race and made a mistake like that, obviously it hurts more than finishing ninth and scoring points", he noted.
The possibility of competing for the top positions also allowed him to gauge the difference between regularly fighting in the midfield and directly facing the top teams. "When you hardly ever fight, you feel strong competing with Red Bull, McLaren, or Ferrari", Colapinto stated.
In that sense, the Alpine driver acknowledged that the pain from the mistake lingers, although he chose to focus on the experience gained and look ahead to the upcoming races. "Throwing everything away so quickly is sad and frustrating, but surely more opportunities will come", he concluded.
When Colapinto returns to race
After a bittersweet Italian Grand Prix, the native of Pilar will seek to recover emotionally next week at the Spanish Grand Prix. Action at the debuting Madring will kick off next Friday, September 11 with the first free practices and will conclude with the main race on Sunday, September 13.
Schedule for the Spanish GP
Friday, September 11
