– Alpine driver Franco Colapinto was one of the biggest surprises of the weekend at the Miami Grand Prix: The Argentine qualified in eighth place and moved up to seventh in the race on Sunday – helped by a post-race penalty against Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
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“I think it was my best weekend since I have been in Formula 1,” says Colapinto. “I am very satisfied with the weekend, it was really well executed. I think we maximized every session and scored strong points.”
“I am very happy with the effort everyone showed – with the team’s effort to bring the new parts, the upgrades, the new wings, the new chassis. Everything was very helpful and helped me to find my way a bit better and find the performance I was missing.”
A new chassis as a decisive factor?
In particular, the new chassis could have proven to be a key factor for Colapinto. “It’s no secret: usually the first chassis you build is the heaviest,” explains Alpine CEO Steve Nielsen. “With further iterations, you then develop chassis that are lighter.”
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“This is no exception here. Franco has chassis number three, it is lighter than chassis one, which he had before, because that one has to pass all frontal impact tests and so on. That’s why we could give him this one, which reduced his weight a bit – that’s good, within the limit.”
“And I have to say, that’s something we have been good at this year,” says Nielsen. “The cars were at the weight limit or just slightly above, we were like that all year, which is good because not everyone manages that.” Colapinto’s new chassis was so far only a spare chassis and was rebuilt during the break since Japan.
Colapinto: “Maximized every session”
“This weekend felt very strong, very efficient at every point, and we maximized every session,” praises Colapinto. “Therefore, I am very happy and very proud of the team, of myself, because I really feel it was an excellent weekend.”
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However, whether the chassis is the only reason why the Argentine suddenly became so strong remains unclear. “We talked a lot with Franco,” reveals Nielsen. “At first, he had some trouble keeping up with Pierre Gasly’s pace.”
“I don’t know if it was simply because he needed a break, returned to Argentina, and reoriented himself,” says the Alpine official, “but he is happier with the car here than he has been so far this year, and I hope it stays that way.”
The trip to Argentina as a motivational boost?
Additional momentum could also have been provided by a special stopover: Colapinto’s demo run in the Lotus E20 from the 2012 Formula 1 season in his home Buenos Aires, which he completed between the races in Japan and Miami in front of over half a million fans.
“I told him yesterday that maybe he should return to Argentina before every race,” says Nielsen with a smile, and Colapinto also jokes on Sky UK: “We will definitely need a few more trips to Argentina soon and a few more roadshows, a bit more wine and asados.”
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The Alpine driver now hopes to have finally solved the puzzle. “Definitely, I am sure of that. I am sure it will be like that,” says Colapinto. “For a long time, we have been trying to find this performance and understand why we lack this pace. We will try to improve further in Canada.”
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