Formula 1’s Imola Grand Prix Qualifying Red-Flagged Again After Massive Crash by Franco Colapinto
In another heart-stopping moment at the Imola Grand Prix, Alpine driver Franco Colapinto caused the qualifying session to be red-flagged for the second time. The rookie driver, making his debut for Alpine this season, lost control of his car on the exit of Tamburello during his final flying lap in Q1. Colapinto’s mistake led to him spinning into the gravel trap before colliding with the barriers head-on, luckily at a reduced speed. Despite the severity of the crash, Colapinto managed to signal to his team that he was unharmed before climbing out of the car.
This incident marked the second major crash in Q1, with Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda suffering a violent accident at the Villeneuve chicane shortly before. Tsunoda’s car slammed into the tyre barriers, causing it to barrel roll, although the Japanese driver emerged from the wreckage unscathed.
Colapinto, who had qualified in 14th position before the crash, is expected to receive a grid penalty for being released into the pitlane prematurely during the initial red flag period. A similar infraction in Bahrain resulted in grid penalties for Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. As a consequence of Colapinto’s crash, Liam Lawson was unable to complete his final flying lap, relegating him to 16th place on the grid.
The incident also affected other drivers, including Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and the Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, who were all eliminated from qualifying. Bearman, in particular, believed he had finished his final lap before the red flag was deployed. Despite initial hopes of his lap time being reinstated, race control ultimately decided against it.
Franco Colapinto stepped in to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine for the weekend, transitioning to the Enstone team after a brief stint with Williams in 2024. The start of Q2 had to be postponed due to repairs needed on the tyre barriers at Tamburello following the dramatic crashes in Q1.