Franco Colapinto did what he could on a frustrating Saturday with a disoriented Alpine team: 'It's a disaster'

Franco Colapinto navigated a frustrating qualifying session for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, securing 13th place on the grid. This result placed him just ahead of his Alpine teammate, Pierre Gasly, marking the third consecutive race where Colapinto has outqualified Gasly since the Miami Grand Prix. Despite meeting his personal goal of outperforming Gasly, Colapinto voiced significant concerns about the Alpine car's overall performance. He described the situation as "a disaster," explaining that the car is unpredictable and does not respond to his inputs. During his Q2 lap, Colapinto reported that pushing the car resulted in instability, nearly causing him to spin three times. He struggled to manage the tires and maintain pace, feeling the car was not cooperating with his efforts. "No improvement. We've turned the car upside down a couple of times this weekend. The car does nothing, it doesn't do what I want," Colapinto told international print journalists. "On my Q2 lap, I tried to push to get into Q3, but when pushing, the car simply doesn't respond... I almost spun three times on my lap. I can't get it settled and I can't keep the tires alive for even a single lap. It's a disaster." The Argentine driver expressed deep frustration with the weekend's performance, stating that the team had hoped to compete for a Q3 spot but is instead "suffering too much." He admitted he doesn't understand the root cause of the car's lack of performance, especially as they face more high-heat races. Colapinto noted that the Barcelona track's high-speed nature and energy demands differ significantly from Miami, and he hopes the issues are not solely due to the heat, as the car feels worse than before. Colapinto maintained a calm demeanor despite the challenging circumstances, even managing a smile at times. The slight qualifying advantage over Gasly, approximately 70 thousandths of a second, holds significant personal meaning for him, reinforcing his confidence in his ability to match or exceed his teammate's performance on future tracks. This personal validation comes amidst rumors of Fernando Alonso potentially returning to Renault (Alpine) in 2027, though team sporting advisor Flavio Briatore dismissed the idea of signing a "top driver" at this time.

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No improvement. We've turned the car upside down a couple of times this weekend. The car does nothing, it doesn't do what I want. On my Q2 lap, I tried to push to get into Q3, but when pushing, the car simply doesn't respond... I almost spun three times on my lap. I can't get it settled and I can't keep the tires alive for even a single lap. It's a disaster.