Franco Colapinto confident before the Qatar Grand Prix

The period is quite difficult for the Williams team , who went through particularly complicated moments in Brazil when Franco Colapinto and his teammate Alex Albon were involved in accidents during the rainy qualifying session.

Alex Albon was unable to repair his car in time for the race, while Franco Colapinto was still able to participate thanks to the impressive work of the mechanics. He then caused the red flag when he hit the barriers during the race.

Another particularly violent accident occurred during qualifying in Las Vegas, an incident from which the 21-year-old driver fortunately emerged unscathed after an impact of 50G.

Franco Colapinto confident

Interviewed before the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend about the possibility that these recent accidents would lead teams to think that he needs more experience before being considered for a seat in F1, Franco Colapinto explained: « No, I’m showing what I can do. Confidence doesn’t decrease because of this, I think that’s the key. »

« I have total confidence and I trust what the team can do, and I know what I can do. We still have two races left, we will push until the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi and try to maximize what we have. Of course, it was not ideal in the last two races.

« There have been five great races before, and two where we struggled. In Vegas, I felt very good, very confident with the car, I was doing good laps in qualifying and unfortunately that last attempt in Q2 was very messy. It put me in a situation where I had to push the limits and get closer to the walls. I just got a little too close. It’s part of the learning process.

Regarding the team’s awareness of limited resources while at the helm, he added: « I think there are moments for everything. There are moments to think about it, about the parts and spare parts, and moments to push the limits. In Vegas, I was very cautious during the FP1/2/3, and then in qualifying, you have to push the limits and get closer to the walls. That’s what we do, and we have to take risks. Unfortunately, this has been a bit too much, but it’s part of motorsport and it happens. »

« There are always these things that happen and they are on your mind when there are not enough spare parts and the team is making a big effort to come up with the parts for both cars. Here, I will not have the latest specification, but that’s how it is. We have to keep moving forward, maximize what we have in the car, and I’m sure the engineers, the team are pushing the limits.

The Argentinian impatient to run in Qatar

In anticipation of the weekend in Qatar, which will host the final Sprint of the season, Franco Colapinto is eager to race on the international circuit of Losail, in the country where his home country, Argentina, won the FIFA World Cup in 2022. He will also wear a helmet in memory of this victory.

« I’m very excited for the weekend here in Qatar,” said the Williams driver. “This is a special place for all Argentinians. As a country, we have experienced a lot of happiness here in Qatar. I am very happy to be here and to race in Formula 1, to be able to represent my country.”

I am sure it will be a very special weekend for all of us, especially for me. Running in Qatar will be a very unique moment. I am fully recovered from Vegas. This weekend has not been easy, but we are learning from it. We come back stronger here.

« [We are] going to have to understand a little bit about the car, how it will work here in Qatar. After Vegas, we will be racing with the old front suspension specification on my car, so there are some old elements in my car that we need to understand how they work, quickly, because of course, during a Sprint weekend, there is not much time to understand the setup and how the car works. I’m sure we can find the solution and try to maximize the car. »