Colapinto proud after debut: 'Happy with the result after tough decision'
F1 News
Just less than a week after he got the call that he will replace Logan Sargeant, Franco Colapinto took part in his first ever Formula One Grand Prix in Monza. The Argentinian driver started from P18 on the grid, and eventually finished in P12 last Sunday. The youngster reacted to GPblog among others how his race played out on Sunday.
"Very positive. I am happy, of course, with the result, but mostly happy with the pace. It was a question mark. I have never done more than 8 laps in a row before this, and suddenly I had to do 53, and I never tried the hard compound as well," the Argentinian began in the paddock in Monza.
Colapinto finished 12th in Italy, just one position shy of Sargeant's best result in the 2024 season. "Of course, a bit frustrating the little mistake I have done yesterday, but today, I paid it back to the team with a really strong pace. The engineers stayed with me during all the sessions and they helped me a lot with the tools to keep the tyres under control."
He added: "Physically I felt good. Very hot day but I am feeling good, happy with the car. It is always tough your first race. Many unknown things. But I think we managed it well and only finishing a couple of seconds off the points was decent."
Colapinto happy with delivering 'good result' on debut
The Argentinian was proud after his first race ever, and was satisfied with the result after Williams given him the opportunity to replace Sargeant until Carlos Sainz joins the team in 2025. "Of course very happy to give them a good result in the first race I go with them. James, the team, had the trust to put me in the car and to put me in the seat. It is a very difficult decision, the one that they made. But extremely happy for the performance. Just looking forward to the next race. I am feeling more and more comfortable in the car. This was a very good step forward to try to understand better, to learn more."
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