Argentine driver Franco Colapinto was eliminated in the first phase of qualifying for the Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, starting last after going off track on his final attempt. Teammate Pierre Gasly will start from 18th, while Lando Norris took pole position. Colapinto voiced frustration over the Alpine car's challenges.
Franco Colapinto experienced a mixed weekend at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. On Friday, in free practice, he finished ninth in FP1 and 18th in FP2, outperforming his teammates in both sessions. FP1 featured reserve drivers, while in FP2 he beat Pierre Gasly, who ended last. However, during the second practice, Colapinto got angry over an on-track incident and told his engineer: “Look in your mirrors”.
Saturday's third free practice session did not improve matters: Colapinto clocked 1:18.581 to place 19th, behind Gasly's 1:18.412 in 18th. In qualifying, starting at 18:00 Argentina time, Colapinto began on medium tires with an initial 1:18.392, ahead of Gasly. He improved to 1:17.670, but went off track on his final lap, eliminated in Q1 with that time. Gasly, with 1:17.546, also dropped in Q1 but in 18th. Q1 eliminations were Gabriel Bortoleto (16th), Alexander Albon (17th), Gasly (18th), Lance Stroll (19th), and Colapinto (20th).
Lando Norris took pole with 1:15.586, followed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Colapinto criticized the Alpine car: “It's a very difficult car” and “In FP1 it was hard to find rhythm. The car is super tough on the curbs, unmanageable. We made a couple of changes and improved a bit, but we still have the same big problems. That's why we're so far back”. After the session, he showed frustration but was consoled by Alpine's mechanics. Flavio Briatore made a strong gesture regarding the error. The circuit, over 2,200 meters altitude, spans 4.304 km with 16 turns and impacts aerodynamic performance.
The race runs this Sunday at 17:00 Argentina time and airs on Fox Sports and Disney+.