Franco Colapinto Returns to F1 with Promising Performance at Imola

IMOLA, ITALY — Franco Colapinto expressed satisfaction after his first day back as an F1 driver during practice for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The Argentinian driver, who previously raced for Williams, is now a reserve driver for Alpine and had the opportunity to compete after a recent announcement following the Miami Grand Prix.

Colapinto finished the first practice session in 17th place but improved to 13th in the second session. He noted that he felt more comfortable in the car by the end of the day. “There’s still a lot of work to do with the car set-up and with the tools as well with the settings, but I’m starting to feel a bit more comfortable in the car,” he said.

The 21-year-old emphasized the learning curve ahead of him, stating, “Still a lot of things to learn and to get used to it,” but he believed he was becoming more competitive as the sessions progressed. “I think by the end I was starting to be a bit more competitive,” he added.

The Imola track saw considerable traffic during both practice sessions, which may pose challenges during the upcoming qualifying rounds. Colapinto highlighted the need for a strong performance in the opening segment of qualifying, saying, “For sure, Q1 is going to be tricky with the traffic. We are going to need to be on it at the start.”

Overall, Colapinto was pleased with his return to racing and is looking forward to the rest of the weekend. “I’ve been pleased with my first day, and I’m looking forward to Qualifying,” he concluded.