Hamilton defeat sparked by ‘sudden wake-up’ – Colapinto
Franco Colapinto has described how a “sudden” surprise in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix helped him to keep Lewis Hamilton behind.
The Williams driver in just his second grand prix finished eighth in Baku, scoring four points and becoming the first Argentine to do so since Carlos Reutemann at the 1982 Brazilian GP.
Colapinto beat seven-time world champion Hamilton to the flag after the Mercedes driver’s long climb through the field from a pit lane start following a fresh power unit being taken, and received a warm-embrace in parc ferme.
However, for Colapinto, it was not a smooth race to begin with as he experienced tyre graining with his pace in the early stages dictated by the rubber, before a sudden change unlocked the rest of his race.
“I kept doing my management which the team was asking me to do, but then we stopped and after [Nico] Hulkenberg passed me, we started to push with no more lifting,” he told media including RacingNews365.
“Then the front tyres woke up as they were completely open since the first few laps, my fronts were completely grained and I had no grip.
“They suddenly woke up, they switched on again and I started to gain a lot of grip, and that is why I finished the race strong, had good lap times and kept Lewis behind, pulling away and making a gap.
“Halfway through, I didn’t understand what was happening with the tyres, but with the experience I’ve got in managing them, I just need to keep learning and understanding how different a medium is to a hard.
“It was a great race and I’m very proud to get points for the team with both cars.”
Colapinto repaying the faith
Colapinto’s four points, coupled with the six Alex Albon scored for seventh place was Williams’ best two-car result since it scored a five-eight finish with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa at the 2016 Spanish GP.
In hauling the four points, Colapinto quadrupled the single point Logan Sargeant hauled during his tenure at the team, and helped move Williams above Alpine into eighth place in the constructors’.
“They showed so much confidence and trust in putting me in a seat,” he said of team boss James Vowles’ decision.
“It was a very difficult [choice] that many people didn’t understand, but I hope to show what I am capable of in F1.
“The opportunity James gave me is helping to show that I am trying to learn quick, I have two races, FP1 at Silverstone and the [2023] Abu Dhabi test, but with the little mileage I’ve got, to be in the points in my second race is really positive.”
