Colapinto hopes to have a positive weekend after Monza F1 debut

Having made a successful F1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix, Williams driver Franco Colapinto hopes that he will be able to deliver another impressive weekend in Baku.

After a tough Dutch Grand Prix, Williams announced that it would part ways with Logan Sargeant, replacing him with F2 driver Franco Colapinto.

The Argentine driver did not put a foot wrong in Monza despite his limited preparation for the Italian Grand Prix, finishing the Monza round in an impressive P12.

Elaborating on his expectations ahead of his second F1 race, Colapinto said that he expects a tough difficult week considering the fact that he will drive in Baku for the first time and the street nature of the track will add another challenge.

“My focus this weekend is to continue learning as I race in Baku for the first time. The track is very different to Monza, and tackling a street circuit in an F1 car will be an exciting challenge.

“I’ve put a lot of preparation into this weekend and will aim to build session by session to understand the circuit and more about the car. We’ll be hoping for another positive weekend for both myself and the team.

His team-mate Alexander Albon took points in Monza, having finished the Italian Grand Prix in P9 two weeks ago. With Williams having introduced a comprehensive set of upgrades at Zandvoort, the London-born Thai driver is keen on assessing his updated FW46 on a street track.

“Heading to Baku, it’s the first street circuit we’ve been to after a long stint of traditional tracks. The streets of Baku have a nice rhythm and it’s a familiar circuit that I enjoy building up to across Friday and Saturday, into Qualifying.

“I’m also looking forward to testing our upgraded package on a different style track and seeing how the car responds in these different conditions. It’s usually an exciting and unpredictable race with good opportunities for overtaking, which we hope to capitalise on this weekend.

Williams’ sporting director Sven Smeets stressed that the fact that the Baku race takes place at a hotter time than in previous seasons might play an important role in term of tyre management.

“After a small break, we head into a double header of street tracks starting with Baku; a track that should suit the car and the new package. Alex will be looking to score points after a great weekend in Monza and Franco will continue to focus on building up in the Free Practice sessions to prepare for Qualifying on Saturday.

“We’re racing in Baku at a hotter time of year than in previous seasons, so it will be interesting to see how influential tyre management will be in the race,” Smeets commented.