Franco Colapinto jeopardized his Formula 1 future further when he dropped out during the Baku qualification after a crash. The young Argentine caused a red flag in Q1 by parking his Alpine into the wall. In Sunday’s race, he will start from a mediocre sixteenth place. Afterwards, he seemed rather indifferent, stating that he would rather crash in a fast lap than slow down.
Colapinto was working on a flying lap in Q1 when he encountered teammate Pierre Gasly at the fourth corner; the Frenchman had made a mistake and parked his car in the escape route. The Argentine also made a mistake and crashed his A525 into the wall. This marked the end of the qualification for Colapinto, who, after a series of mediocre performances for Alpine, is on the chopping block. He is also still waiting for his first points with the French racing team.
After the Saturday session, he was asked how he still hopes to prove himself to the top brass in Enstone, including Flavio Briatore. “I was very good in the qualification,” Colapinto defended his performance in Baku. “I would rather have a small crash in a fast lap than go slow and not cause any damage,” he explained. “Of course, it’s not nice to end like this, but I’m sure a lot will change. As a team, we are taking the right steps. This can happen on street circuits; the margins are very small after all.”
Paul Aron
Colapinto explained that he, like many other drivers, was caught off guard by the strong gusts of wind in Baku. “It was very challenging,” he said. “There was probably a lot of wind, which caused me to completely lose the rear end as I entered the turn. Pierre Gasly had already taken the escape route, so I couldn’t go there anymore,” he added. “So yes, it’s tough. There were just a few spots where it was really unpredictable.” The Argentine denied being distracted by his teammate. “Of course, you always notice when someone is in the escape route. But that doesn’t change the fact that I had completely lost the rear end.”
Senior advisor Flavio Briatore will undoubtedly take Colapinto’s crash into consideration for his 2026 plans. Pierre Gasly has a long-term contract with Alpine, but his teammate has not yet been secured for the future. Briatore confirmed to The Race that he wants to sign his own driver. The choice is between Colapinto and test and reserve driver Paul Aron. The Italian is very impressed with the 21-year-old Estonian, who finished third in his debut season in Formula 2 last year.
