FIRST POINTS FOR COLAPINTO WITH ALPINE
Franco Colapinto scored his first points for Alpine after finishing tenth in the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Argentine driver had a strong race and fought through many challenges to secure the final point-paying position. His race included contact with Esteban Ocon in the middle stages, which caused him to lose important time.
After the race, Colapinto said he was happy to score points but also felt frustrated with how the race unfolded.
“It was good to score points, but I’m a bit sad because it also happened due to luck when Max Verstappen retired. Otherwise I probably would not have scored,” he said.
Colapinto explained that his car suffered a lot of damage during the race. He also struggled with heavy tyre graining, which made the car harder to control.
“I had a lot of graining and a lot of damage on the floor. The rear right side was broken and there was a big hole in the floor, so I was losing a lot of downforce,” he explained.
The Alpine driver also criticised the Safety Car that came out after Lance Stroll stopped on track. Colapinto believed the decision hurt his race because he had started with a different strategy and had made a strong start.
“I’m angry about that. I had a good start and passed many cars, but because one car stopped they brought out the Safety Car, which didn’t make sense to me,” he said.
He compared it to the previous race in Melbourne, where a Virtual Safety Car was used even though a car had caught fire.
“That’s what frustrates me the most. Every time I’m about to do something good, something stops me,” he added.
Despite the problems, Colapinto believes it was one of his best races because he kept pushing and gained several positions during the race.
Toward the end of the race he also tried to overtake Carlos Sainz for ninth place but was unable to make the move.
“I gave everything. When you give everything and it doesn’t work, it’s frustrating. I really wanted to pass Carlos and almost tried a move anywhere, but I controlled myself,” he said.
In the end, Colapinto finished tenth and secured his first points with Alpine, an important step in his season with the team.
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