MIAMI, United States.– Mission accomplished in Miami. Franco Colapinto eighth in the qualifying test for the sprint race: head held high, smile easy, more satisfied than ever. He let this new and comforting reality take over his being. Jamie Walter-Campbellone of his two managers, ran from one place to another looking for the “aunt-manager”, Maria Catarineu. Short hug from the pilot.
Franco wanted to continue telling about that magical turn in the SQ3. And he greeted his surroundings and mere witnesses who usually speak through their writings. An aura of complicity, satisfaction and relief surrounded Colapinto, his managers and the press chief of AlpineSam Mallinson. Franco walked through the dark hallways of Hard Rock Stadium holding his hydration container, met the envoy of THE NATION and in a spontaneous gesture he shook her hand and smiled. He doesn’t usually do it.
He had been eighth and moved to SQ3 for the fourth time in his short career in the Formula 1. From behind the group came a troop of dark clothes and hung around his neck to give him a long kiss. It was the warrior award given to him by the singer Maia Reficco. Franco looks like a giant next to the artist’s statuesque and lean body. Hugging, the two went towards the Alpine hospitality. When Colapinto, Alpine’s hero of the day, arrived for the official interview, he emerged from the glass room with a grim expression, looking at the horizon, absorbed, Pierre Gaslywhich had been ranked in tenth place. He was pushing a skateboard, turned it on and walked away. Against Franco, today, it is as if Pierre had qualified with that skateboard.
He told Juan Fossaroli, from ESPN, his favorite interviewer, as he moved from the interview area towards the hospitals: “I’m happy. The main thing was to understand a little what we were missing in the previous races. This is taking place on a difficult track, a clue I didn’t knowon a sprint weekend, which is very short. Everything, much more complicated than normal, and from the beginning we were fast. I am happy to feel that we found the direction a little and the reason for the lack of performance in the previous races. Is how to start again”.
Franco has to let his talent flow, he doesn’t have to let himself be influenced by others. Now there is no problem. We have enough spare parts, so we don’t have the risk of before, when an accident or a spin was a problem
After a single practice session, the outlook was rather bleak, unless the information about the test that Alpine wanted to do was taken into account.
Franco arrived after 9:30 at the venue closed by high stands with green seats. He greeted the cameramen and entered the Alpine hospitality, the first one on the right after the turnstiles. From there the team announced the sponsorship of a leading brand of cleaning products from the Unilever group.
It was necessary to review the test plan for the only training session of the weekend, extended from 60 to 90 minutes as a result of recent regulatory changes relating to energy management, with new power limitations and faster battery recharging.
Franco received good news on Friday morning: he was going to use a new chassis in this grand prix, different from the previous one. Alpine did not specify in what; It is only known that it is part of the developments planned for this season. Both cars present numerous aerodynamic improvements in details. And Gasly was going to use a new rear wing in the morning test.
Indeed, the modifications went down well at Alpine: the test in Miami said that they did not advance in the order among the manufacturers, but the squad kept the head of that medium peloton, with Gasly in eighth position, 1s277/1000 behind the fastest, which was Charles Leclerc with Ferrari. Franco had a good performance in the practicein which his mission was to test a set-up slightly different from that of his teammate in long runs. But this was not the correct one and that is why the Argentine was 11th1s705/1000 from the fastest, Leclerc, and 428/1000 from his partnermore than what could be considered normal.
With the Monegasque in first position, followed by a recovered Max Verstappen (Red Bull) at 297/1000 and by Oscar Piastri (McLaren) at 448/1000, finished the only rehearsal session of the weekend. At that point it was said that the new rear wing used by Gasly could provide an advantage of up to 3/10 over Colapinto’s car. That estimate seemed too optimistic.
An old story is worth it to illustrate the situation. In 1977 Ferrari brought a new rear wing to the Brazilian GP. Niki Lauda did not want to use it and they gave it to Carlos Reutemann. ‘Lole’ won the race and Lauda, furious, not because of the spoiler issue, but because he saw a danger to his position in the team, traveled to Italy to enforce the terms of his contract. Now, the answer that Alpine had to weigh after the practice session was floating there: what was going to happen in the qualifying test?
There was a long time until the answer appeared. In between, for the midday break, the qualification test for the racing races was scheduled. Formula 2category in which another Argentine participates, Nicolas Varrone.
The boy from Ingeniero Maschwitz is beginning to leave his mark in F. 2. Yesterday he was permanently among the best 10 and managed to finish sixth. But his starting position will be even better in the two races of the weekend, the second event of the year: he will start fifth. His chances of reaching a place on the podium in both competitions are great. And his performance was the precursor to what ended up being a good day for the Argentine drivers in Miami.
Already in the qualifying test for the Formula 1 sprint, both Alpines used the same energy conservation and recharging strategy, according to the available telemetry. Franco now has a much better car than last year. Tolerates more abrupt steering inputs in slow corners without the rear axle leaving, it warns beforehand and is gradual. Driver 43 made two attempts on used soft tires, while being harassed by several cars. In the third he set his best time with a neat, firm handling, without exaggerations. Now, this car, as he himself says, he understands. AND for the first time since he joined Alpine, he was superior to Gasly firmly and on equal terms.
In time, Colapinto he beat the Frenchman by 154/1000. The McLaren of Lando Norris gave a surprise when staying firstin front of Kimi Antonellisecond with Mercedes, and 1s451/1000 ahead of Colapinto. Flavio Briatorehis demanding employer, posted a sincere congratulations on Instagram: “Bravo Franco! A great job. Keep it up”. Mission accomplished.
