2024-07-06 03:01:00
Franco Colapinto had the pleasure of getting into the Williams Formula 1 car, but it was not just an anecdote: the Argentine driver had an outstanding test in the first free practice of the British Grand Prix, as he improved as the laps went by and was less than half a second behind his teammate, the experienced Thai Alex Albon.
The native of Pilar did not start the test in good form, but, lap after lap, he managed to improve, marking times that were more than correct for a rookie in the category. Colapinto made no mistakes and was very close to his teammate by marking a time of 1m29s078, 0.429 seconds behind Albon. Among the four test drivers who drove, the Argentine was the one who was closest to the car’s regular driver. Verstappen marked a gap of 1s154 over Isack Hadjar in Red Bull; Esteban Ocon beat Jack Doohan by 0.761 seconds in Alpine and Nico Hulkenberg was 0.454 seconds faster than Oliver Bearman in Haas.
“First FP1 in my life, it’s an incredible moment. I enjoyed every lap, every corner and that’s what makes me the happiest,” said the Argentine after the race. “It only happens once in a lifetime and I feel like I did the best I could: to be honest, I felt like there was more on the table and I was maximising the traffic in some corners, so I was improving as the laps went by,” said Colapinto, who then achieved fourth place in the F2 standings ahead of this Saturday’s race.
“I’m delighted with the opportunity that Williams gave me and the support I received from the team. I’m proud of what we achieved with the people who support me and I need to keep working if I want to reach F1 in a few years,” concluded the Argentine.