It was not a smooth debut for Franco Colapinto on the challenging, old-school Imola track.
The Argentinian driver was involved in a crash during qualifying, which brought out a red flag. It was a tough session with his Alpine, and the off-track excursion compromised both his Saturday and, effectively, his race.

Still, Colapinto remains determined and optimistic, knowing that the experience gained will help him grow throughout the season.  On Saturday, Franco explained that the crash occurred on the lap where he was finally pushing the car to its limit: “When you’re at the limit of the car, it’s very difficult—and qualifying is exactly when you reach that point. I used the curbs a bit more; it was my first time doing that here, but in qualifying you have to push. It’s clearly a different car compared to the one I drove with Williams, and I still need to get more comfortable with it.”

After the race, he commented:  “This is a very challenging and physically demanding track, and I’m happy about that. We’re learning, and I know we have to treat this period as an apprenticeship. mAs a team, these are not the results we were expecting. We know overtaking here is difficult”.

Looking ahead to Monaco, Franco confessed: “it’s one of those circuits where engine power isn’t as crucial—unlike here—so I think it will be a different story.”