(Motorsport-Total.com) – Alpine driver Franco Colapinto explains why his first months in Formula 1 were “shocking”: first because of the unexpected points finishes and the hype in Argentina, then because of the enormous challenge after his accident in Las Vegas.
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After Logan Sargeant suffered a serious accident in the third free practice in Zandvoort and had to watch his Williams go up in flames, team principal James Vowles decided it was time for a change.
On August 27, Sargeant was officially dismissed and replaced by Colapinto for the rest of the 2024 season. At that time, the Argentine was still driving for the Dutch team MP Motorsport in Formula 2 and had only been admitted to the Williams junior academy a year and a half earlier.
With little experience in the shark tank
With only one pre-season test in Abu Dhabi and one run in free practice in Silverstone under his belt, Colapinto had very little Formula 1 experience, which meant he was practically thrown in at the deep end.
His debut ended with a twelfth place in Monza, but afterwards many in the paddock watched with great interest how he would perform in Baku and Singapore – two of the most demanding street circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. Colapinto delivered and sparked a huge wave of enthusiasm in his home country Argentina.
“My example was quite a shock,” admits Colapinto almost two years later in an exclusive interview with our sister site Autosport.
The hype around Colapinto
“I started my Formula 1 career and in my second race I went straight into Q3 and scored points. The third race was on a super difficult track in Singapore, and I almost scored points again. Then I scored in Austin, so it was a fantastic start.”
This impressive period made Colapinto one of the hottest names in the paddock. That was exactly what he needed, as Williams had already locked in its driver lineup for the following season with Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz, who had been replaced at Ferrari.
The Argentine had to showcase himself, but after his rocket start he realized that a Formula 1 career never runs straight – not even his own. “After that, I had this accident in Las Vegas, and suddenly everything was a disaster. Everyone suddenly forgot everything!”
The setback in Las Vegas
Under the floodlights of Las Vegas, things initially seemed to be going well again. While Albon was eliminated in Q1, Colapinto made it into the second qualifying segment, but that’s exactly where things went wrong.
He touched the inside curb at turn 15 before crashing heavily into the wall with a force of 50G.
“I do believe that you are only as good as your last race, but it was frustrating that all the effort and the good things were suddenly over because of a single rookie mistake. In the end, I was still learning.”
How the perspective changed
“I had never driven a Formula 1 car before, except for half a day in Abu Dhabi. That’s not an excuse, but it showed me how quickly things can change in Formula 1, and that is sometimes a bit annoying. In Formula 1, you have to change yourself a little bit.”
The Formula 1 rookies of the past 22 years
It was the first time Colapinto experienced firsthand how quickly public opinion can change when a driver is constantly in the spotlight. But that is not even the main reason why he calls the accident the toughest moment of his Formula 1 career so far.
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The explanation for this is related to the driver market at the time. Since the Williams lineup for 2025 was already set, Colapinto had to recommend himself to other teams, which suddenly became a much more difficult task after his accident.
No sharp weapons anymore
Although Colapinto received the green light after a visit to the Medical Center, the same could hardly be said for his Williams, which was mostly scrap. “I had to race the last two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi with old parts because the car was destroyed after the accident in Vegas.”
This put him in a difficult position at the last two race weekends in the Middle East. Colapinto fought for his Formula 1 future but knew he no longer had the right material for it.
“I am telling this example now because it was the hardest for me. My time was running out, I didn’t have a new contract yet, and then of course you want to perform to prove yourself.”
Formula 1 demands everything
“But suddenly you know you can’t because you have a car that is three tenths slower. That was tricky for me, I think the toughest experience so far, but all these things make you incredibly strong.”
These Formula 1 drivers have won in their rookie year
It is part of the mental side of Formula 1 that the public rarely sees – just like the many commitments behind the scenes. But these aspects left the biggest impression on Colapinto in his rookie season.
“The learning curve is shocking. To be honest, after my first few races at Williams, I was completely exhausted after every race weekend, simply because of the abundance of things I suddenly had to deal with.”
Setback and comeback
“These are the things nobody sees. I think Formula 1 is a beautiful sport, and it is what we have dreamed of our whole lives. But once you are there, many things change, and you also have to change yourself a little bit.”
All Formula 1 cars from Renault/Alpine
At the beginning of 2025, Colapinto had to settle for the role of test and reserve driver at Alpine but returned to the starting grid after the Miami Grand Prix. This time he replaced Jack Doohan, who had been under enormous pressure from the start.
The second chapter of Colapinto’s Formula 1 career began significantly more difficult than the first, also because Alpine had already shifted its focus to the new technical regulations.
This is how Colapinto learned a lot
Colapinto emphasizes, however, that he now benefits from this difficult phase and the challenges at the end of 2024. “Last year I understood many things and matured much faster as a driver. It was a tough time for me, but it made me much stronger and mentally more resilient.”
“Even if it looks like I am improving more in 2026, I firmly believe that 2025 was the year in which I improved much more than now in 2026.”
“That is again due to these difficult moments, difficult conversations, and times when simply nothing works. Because when nothing works, everything becomes very tense and very difficult. I always feel that it is exactly these moments that have helped me the most.”
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