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Colapinto frustrated by lack of Alpine upgrades in Zandvoort F1 qualifying
🇦🇷 Argentina /Sports

Colapinto frustrated by lack of Alpine upgrades in Zandvoort F1 qualifying

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Franco Colapinto expressed frustration over not receiving Alpine's aerodynamic upgrades for the F1 race in Zandvoort, which Pierre Gasly used to qualify eighth.
  • Colapinto's car, still equipped with older aerodynamics, qualified 13th, with the new B-spec version set to arrive for the next Grand Prix in Italy.
  • Despite the performance gap, Colapinto acknowledged improvement over previous races, passing Racing Bulls and Audi cars, but noted his car remains disconnected and lacking performance.

Franco Colapinto voiced his dissatisfaction after qualifying 13th for the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort, lamenting the absence of Alpine's new aerodynamic upgrades on his car. While teammate Pierre Gasly secured eighth place with the updated B-spec A526, Colapinto's vehicle still uses the older configuration, a situation he described as "frustrating."

"There is a very, very big difference between the cars. There are a lot of load points... It's part of the process," Colapinto told Fox Sports. "Obviously, it's frustrating not to have the improvements, but on the other hand, it's positive to have improved so much compared to past races, to have passed Racing Bulls and Audis."

There is a very, very big difference between the cars. There are a lot of load points... It's part of the process. Obviously, it's frustrating not to have the improvements, but on the other hand, it's positive to have improved so much compared to past races, to have passed Racing Bulls and Audis.

— Franco ColapintoSpeaking to Fox Sports about the performance difference between his car and his teammate's.

Despite the performance deficit, Colapinto recognized progress, noting that his car is now competitive with teams like Racing Bulls and Audi, which was not the case in previous races. However, he highlighted persistent issues with his current car, describing it as "disconnected and lacking performance." He emphasized the need to "work and focus on what we can do with this car" and "try everything and fight as much as we can."

Adding to the unusual circumstances, Alpine's Flavio Briatore reportedly met with Colapinto shortly before qualifying, a gesture that did not appear to convey joy. The team had planned for an aerodynamic update, but only one set of the new components was manufactured, leading to Gasly receiving them for this race. Colapinto's updated car is expected at the Italian Grand Prix.

I still have the same problem as in the last races: the same car, which is disconnected and lacking performance. So we have to work and focus on what we can do with this car. Try everything and fight as much as we can.

— Franco ColapintoDescribing the ongoing issues with his current car.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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