Franco Colapinto left the Dutch Grand Prix feeling frustrated. The Alpine driver had a very good start and managed to place tenth, but two FIA penalties completely ruined his race and led him to finish 14th (out of 16 drivers), two laps behind the winner Lando Norris.
After the race, the Argentine criticized the stewards' criteria and deemed the penalty he received for an infraction during the yellow flag period caused by the accident of Max Verstappen in the first lap as excessive.
"It punishes a lot, it compromised my entire race. I had no speed in the corners to keep up with the other cars, and it complicated my race. I think I had a great start, one of the best of the year again, and a great first lap. It's a shame how it ended and how it affected our race", Colapinto expressed in the mixed zone.
The first penalty was a Drive-Through, a penalty that requires the driver to enter the pit lane, navigate it while respecting the speed limit, and rejoin without stopping. This measure results in a considerable loss of time and, in the Argentine's case, dropped him to last place among the drivers still in the race.
The stewards penalized Colapinto for not sufficiently reducing speed under yellow flags and overtaking Yuki Tsunoda after Verstappen's crash. Later, he also received another ten-second penalty for a second infraction and, in total, received 3 points on his superlicense (2 for the first and 1 for the second).
The Argentine specifically questioned the first decision and argued that the situation on track did not allow for such a rigid application of the rule. "It's an extremely harsh penalty for the conditions that were present. While rules are rules, there could have been some leeway in certain factors. It was dangerous to slam the brakes on the straight in the middle of an overtake during a yellow flag that came super late", he explained.
"I think it's quite unfair and they could be more flexible. The rules are written, and sometimes they need a bit of judgment", insisted the Alpine driver.
His defense continued along the same lines: "I think it's very harsh. While the rules are written, there are stewards to provide flexibility and have judgment in situations. Clearly, it was more dangerous to slam the brakes on the straight than to finish the overtake. It was all quite strange and it frustrates me a bit. It's part of racing. I hope the penalties calm down".
Despite the frustration, Colapinto is already thinking about the next championship date. The Argentine will have a new opportunity on Sunday, September 6, in Monza, one of the circuits he enjoys the most on the calendar. "I'm looking forward to returning to Monza, it's a track I really like and it's a pleasure to race in Italy", he stated.
When Colapinto Returns to Race
After his complicated participation in Zandvoort, the Argentine, who will now have the improvements in his A526 that Alpine developed during the summer break, will seek to recover in the Italian Grand Prix. Activities at the legendary Italian circuit will start on Friday, September 4 with the first free practices and conclude on Sunday, September 6 with the main race.
