After crashing in qualifying for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto revealed that he would rather be fast around a race track and “have a little crash” than have a clean, slow lap in his Alpine F1 car.
The Argentine was on a flying lap in Q1 at the Baku street circuit, which he says was “three tenths up after three corners”. However, at Turn 4 he encountered team-mate Pierre Gasly, who had taken to the escape road after making a mistake. Colapinto also struggled at the corner, but had no escape road to take and made contact with the wall – ending his session and leaving him lining up 16th for the grand prix.
Advertisement
The result wasn’t what the 22-year-old was hoping for on the streets of Baku, as he is currently fighting to convince Alpine bosses that he deserves his spot at the French team for 2026.
When asked about how he can prove himself to the team following the crash, Colapinto argued that he has been “really good in qualifying” in recent weeks, before explaining his all-or-nothing approach to F1.
“I always prefer to have a little crash when I go quick than just to be slow and have always no damage,” he explained.
Advertisement
“It’s not nice to finish like this today, but I’m sure that there is much more to come and that we are doing good steps with the team. These things can happen here in a street track, it’s always very tight margins.
“And when you are on the back foot and always very, very close to go through – our prediction was probably P18 today in qualifying – we have to make always an extra effort to go through and have a perfect lap. When these things happen, it’s always a bit more tricky.”
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
The other aspect that made putting together the perfect lap on Saturday harder was the wind around Baku, which was gusting over 50km/h on some stretches of the track. The gusts caught several drivers out over the course of the session, and the tough conditions and raft of driver errors meant the session set a new record for red flags in F1 qualifying.
Advertisement
Read Also:
Azerbaijan GP qualifying broke the F1 red flag record, here’s how
What changed to cause so many red flags in F1 Azerbaijan GP qualifying?
It was these tough conditions that Colapinto believes led to his session-ending contact with the wall.
“It was very tricky,” he said. “Probably a lot of wind there, a lot of gust, and I went in the corner and I lost completely the rear. I don’t really know the reason for it, but I guess it’s a lot of tailwind and I think a 60-80km/h gust, when it hits you like that, it lifts the rear up, and I just lost the rear completely.”
Advertisement
What made Colapinto’s issue worse was that team-mate Gasly had just suffered problems of his own at Turn 4, but had taken to the escape road instead of the wall. This, Colapinto says, left him with few options once he lost the rear of his A525.
“He went in the escape route, so couldn’t really go there and avoid the crash, because he was in there,” Colapinto remarked. “But, yeah, just tricky. I think there were a few places that were a bit tricky to drive, quite unpredictable.
“It’s always a distraction when someone goes off in the escape route, and you don’t know if it’s on a reverse or what. You always have a bit of a distraction. But that doesn’t take the part that, you know, I just lost a rear completely – really aggressively.
Advertisement
Read Also:
Why Kimi Antonelli refrained from looking at crashed F1 cars during Baku qualifying
“I don’t really know the reason at the moment, but I need to see the data and understand why. Of course, it’s a pity, but we focus on tomorrow.”
The heavy impact Colapinto made means that he required a chassis change on his A525. Alpine confirmed that he will run its spare chassis in the race today, and said he has also taken a new gearbox.
Colapinto currently sits 20th in the F1 drivers’ standings with no points to his name, and admitted that Baku isn’t a track that will favour his Alpine car. Instead, he says the team will “keep focused” on Sunday and wait until the “good tracks come to us”.
Advertisement
Photos from Azerbaijan GP – RaceCharles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
Kym Illman / Getty Images
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Kym Illman / Getty Images
Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Advertisement
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Kym Illman / Getty Images
George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing
Kym Illman / Getty Images
Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor, Alpine
Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor, Alpine
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams
James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams
Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Advertisement
Dr Helmut Marko, Team Consultant, Red Bull Racing
Dr Helmut Marko, Team Consultant, Red Bull Racing
Kym Illman / Getty Images
George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber, Dino Beganovic, Ferrari
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber, Dino Beganovic, Ferrari
James Sutton / LAT Images via Getty Images
Advertisement
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images
Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Peter Fox / Getty Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images
Advertisement
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Peter Fox / Getty Images
Race start
Race start
Ozan Kose / AFP via Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Mark Thompson – Getty Images
Advertisement
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Andrew Ferraro / LAT Images via Getty Images
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Mark Thompson – Getty Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.