Franco Colapinto Reflects On F1 Debut In Monza After Last-Minute Logan Sargeant Replacement

Chris Ladd | Sep 3, 2024

Franco Colapinto - Williams Racing / Williams Racing Press Image

Franco Colapinto has reflected on his Formula 1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix after replacing Williams driver Logan Sargeant last week. Starting from 18th after a close call in Q1, he managed to improve six positions during the race, finishing in P12. His ability to maintain focus and deliver a solid performance under pressure bodes well for his future in F1, especially considering the whirlwind circumstances of his promotion.

“It’s not a bad effort for the first race,” Colapinto said after the session to Formula1.com. “The car was very strong, and I am very happy of course with the performance we had this weekend. I had a lot of question marks going into the race – I’d never done more than eight laps in a row in an F1 car and today there were 53 to do with very high track temps, the highest of the weekend.

“Of course, a lot of information now to take onto the simulator and to the factory to understand many things better, understanding what to work on. But it was a very positive weekend, I went step by step and we’ve been doing a better show each session.

“Qualifying was always frustrating with that little mistake but I think we worked hard and brought the team back today.” Colapinto added.

“Many things go into a weekend of Formula 1," he explained. "First of all, I couldn’t do a normal preparation because the call was very late. Baku is a track that I don’t know but it’s also a track where I’m going to be able to do a lot more prep and it will help a lot. We need to keep working on that.

“There were things that I was not used to and I’m starting to understand better and adapt as well, so it’s all part of the process. I think the process has to be very quick because it came from one day to another, it was the same week of the race. How we end it is very positive – the team’s happy and I am happy as well with the progression. We are looking forward to the next few rounds.”

Williams finds themselves in a closely contested battle in the Constructors' Championship, sitting just behind Alpine. Alex Albon's performances at key races like Monaco, Silverstone, and Monza have been crucial in keeping the team in the fight. However, the missed opportunity at Zandvoort, where they lost points to Alpine, highlights the fine margins in this battle.

Alex Albon managed to pull off a one-stop tire strategy in Monza, securing 2 points for the team. Despite the pressure from Fernando Alonso and the challenges of maintaining pace on 36-lap-old hard tires, Albon secured a valuable P9 finish for Williams, capitalizing on Kevin Magnussen's penalty.

“That was an intense race,” Albon also explained to Formula 1. “Not intense in terms of cars around me, I was in the middle of nowhere, but Kevin [Magnussen] was pulling away with his 10-second penalty and Fernando [Alonso] was catching me up with his new set of tyres so yeah, we were struggling actually.

“It was one of those ones where the tortoise wins the race and just slowly, slowly and I just knew I had to keep being consistent, make sure that front left didn’t open up. And then as Fernando was coming there was a bit of ‘Jaws’ music and then we just hung on.”

Albon's emphasis on seizing every opportunity reflects the team's awareness that every point counts, especially in such a competitive midfield. Williams will need to continue maximizing their performance in the remaining races to close the gap to Alpine and potentially overtake them in the standings.

“We are on a kind of a slow burner, and we are only just getting back into it. We have an upgrade, another one planned hopefully in a couple of races, and let’s hope we can catch Alpine for P8 in the championship. That’s our target and the last couple of races have proved that we can have a fairly good car capable of Q3, so we’ll keep at it.”