Written by Sofia Costantino, Edited by Gabriel Tsui
We’ve all seen the new Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto, whose resemblance with Senna has us remembering those times when the Brazilian amazed us with his skills and charm. He has certainly made a mark as the new talent in Formula 1.
He showed his talent during these first few races, and now, this past weekend, in just his third ever Formula 1 race, he finished P11 in Singapore, one of the hardest tracks, where even drivers with much more experience are unable to complete the race because of the racetrack difficulties.
The 21-year-old had looked disappointed following Saturday’s qualifying, where he was just 0.03 seconds from getting into the top ten, ending up 12th. However, he made up for it in Sunday’s race.
Colapinto’s start of the race was clinical, despite starting the race from the “dirty” part of the track (outside the most used racing line, therefore accumulating debris and dirt), where he lost a few positions initially.
Yet, Colapinto was able to launch his car fast and then take advantage of being on the inside line of the track to brake late. He assessed the situation and took calculated risks, ultimately gaining four positions.
He embodies Ayrton Senna’s philosophy: “Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people, and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” Colapinto is undoubtedly a racing driver in every sense.
Not everyone appreciated his bold move, as his teammate Alex Albon certainly did not, voicing his frustration, claiming he was forced off the track, which led to Albon dropping to fifth before ultimately retiring due to overheating. Albon now has serious competition, pushing him to elevate his game.
After his impressive start, Colapinto found himself in a battle for eighth place with Red Bull’s Sergio “Checo” Pérez. The seasoned Mexican driver struggled to overtake him, later admitting to his team, “He’s very good; it’s hard to pass Colapinto.”
Despite climbing as high as sixth during the race, Colapinto’s position was compromised during the pit stops, where a slow three-second stop by Williams dropped him back to 11th.
Nevertheless, he held on to this position until the checkered flag, marking his second-best finish in a Grand Prix and his third consecutive race finishing ahead of his starting position.
“I did my best, and I think I managed well,” Colapinto reflected post-race. “We stopped too late. If we hadn’t, I believe Pérez wouldn’t have passed me, and I could’ve held him off.”
The Singapore Grand Prix is one of the most physically demanding races on the F1 calendar, with temperatures soaring to 30°C. Colapinto, despite never having raced there before, rose to the challenge.
“I had a tough time, especially when we switched to the hard tires. I felt like I was closer to the limit than the car ever was,” he admitted, clearly exhausted but proud of his effort. He expressed disappointment for not scoring points in such a grueling race.
Colapinto also shared his admiration for Pérez, revealing that he used to wake up early to watch the Mexican driver’s races back in Argentina. “Checo is a great driver. He couldn’t pass me due to the track’s layout, but I know he could have anywhere else,” he said.
With F1 now entering a three-week break, the next race will be the United States Grand Prix, at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas on October 20. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll have an Argentinian on the grid for a very long time in F1. It’s still unconfirmed if he’ll get a seat for the next season, but there is a possibility.
He’s only 21 years old and has an incredible future ahead of him, for now, let’s keep enjoying watching him race and let him continue to amaze us with his talent.