Franco Colapinto faces an uphill battle at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, as the Williams rookie revealed he will be driving with outdated components on his FW46 following a significant crash in Las Vegas. The team’s spares situation, already under pressure, has left him without the latest updates, compounding Williams’ challenges as they battle to climb from ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Crash Fallout: A Setback for Colapinto
Colapinto’s costly crash during qualifying in Las Vegas, which marked his third major incident in two race weekends, resulted in extensive damage to his car. Williams managed to equip both cars with their most advanced specifications for the Vegas race despite earlier crashes in Brazil. However, the Argentine’s latest shunt has stretched the team’s resources beyond their limit.
- Colapinto’s Take:
“Of course, it’s not ideal how we are coming into the weekend. After being already low in spares in Vegas, here we are going to be struggling a bit more with that.”
Old-Spec Suspension and Hardware
Colapinto confirmed his car would feature outdated parts, including an older front suspension setup, significantly impacting his performance potential.
- “My car is not going to be in the last spec. That’s already a point where you don’t want to start the weekend,” Colapinto admitted. “We are changing the front suspension. It’s different, so that’s the old spec and some other things. But that’s what it is. We have to deal with that.”
Aggression Comes at a Cost
The young Argentine acknowledged that the team’s need to score points has pushed him to adopt an aggressive approach, which contributed to his Las Vegas crash.
- “We are trying to be aggressive and pushing the limits. We are at a point that we need to be scoring points, and we are going for it. Qualifying is a moment you need to go for it. Unfortunately, it was a bit too much.”
Encouragement Amid Challenges
Despite the setbacks, Colapinto remains optimistic, citing the car’s promising pace before and after the Vegas crash as a reason to stay positive.
- “Our quali pace was really good. The car was very strong, so that was positive. On the Mediums, I was the strongest one [in the race].”
He added that the team would reset and aim to bounce back in Qatar, targeting a cleaner weekend.
Williams’ Uphill Battle
With just two races left in the season, Williams finds itself 29 points behind eighth-placed RB in the Constructors’ standings. Colapinto’s crashes have complicated the team’s quest for points, but his determination to maximize performance under tough conditions could still offer a glimmer of hope.
“It’s another weekend reset, so we are OK,” Colapinto concluded.
