Franco Colapinto has finally addressed rumors suggesting he might sit out the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Alpine driver insisted that such a scenario was never a reality. The speculation arose after the Baku incident, where Colapinto locked up at Turn 1 on the restart, hitting teammate Pierre Gasly, who then collected Lando Norris. All three were eliminated, costing Alpine a potential double points finish.
The crash angered the team, especially advisor Flavio Briatore. Briatore said he would reflect before deciding whether further action was needed, fueling suggestions that Colapinto might be benched for Sepang. However, when asked in Malaysia if missing the race was ever a realistic possibility, Colapinto rejected the idea. "Not really," he said.
“I was in the factory straight away, getting ready for the race here in Malaysia, and those things never changed, and our prep for the future never really changed,” Colapinto said. He acknowledged that Briatore was angry, as was everyone in the team. “Of course, Flavio was angry, as everyone in the team was angry, and it’s not a nice situation to be in, and even worse to be the one creating that situation. It’s the last thing that you want as a team.”
Colapinto also expressed regret over the incident, especially since he and Gasly had worked well together all weekend. “We were doing a very good job as teammates all that weekend with Pierre, and it’s very sad to finish it like that, with a mistake.”
Nevertheless, Colapinto didn't dwell on it. The next morning, he was back at Alpine's Enstone base for a 5am simulator run. The session was part of a pre-arranged program, with its early start designed to help him adjust to the Malaysian time zone, not as punishment for the crash. Afterwards, senior figures including Briatore, managing director Steve Nielsen, racing director Dave Greenwood, and engineers sat down with Colapinto to examine the Baku accident and discuss how to prevent a repeat.
Colapinto said the issue has since been settled within the team and praised Briatore's handling of the aftermath. “There are times in the team when everyone is angry, and it’s tricky to move forward at the start, but you always find a way,” he said. “And Flavio is a great team leader. He’s probably one of the best I’ve had in the sport, of course, since I started, and he has a lot of experience, so he’s very good at these situations, knowing how to manage them and knowing how to make the team better. So I always trusted him with this kind of stuff. And of course, it’s probably not the best when you are the one in the wrong and you made a mistake, but it’s great to have him and learn from it.”
The 23-year-old once again took full responsibility for the collision, explaining that a small difference in braking input was enough to lock the front tyres. “As soon as we spoke again, I came back to the garage, and I took full responsibility,” Colapinto explained. “It was a mistake; I locked up in Turn 1. It’s a mistake with just very big consequences. And of course, I’m sad about what happened. But as a team, we had a lot of chats, and we learned how to move on, and we understand how to get better for the future.”
With his focus now on the Malaysian race, Colapinto is determined to prove he still deserves the team's trust. He hopes for a solid performance to help Alpine achieve a strong result. This episode serves as a reminder that in racing, pressure comes not only from the track but also from within the team. However, Colapinto has shown that with communication and professionalism, storms can be weathered.
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