Colapinto: Gap smaller at Vegas GP, but still off the pace | OneFootball

The Argentine driver ended up frustrated by the performance of his Alpine in the first two practice sessions: “I feel quite uncomfortable with the soft tires.”

The Argentine driver Franco Colapinto had a tough Thursday at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he failed to find positive sensations with the Alpine during the two practice sessions. The lack of grip, especially with the soft tires, once again exposed problems he had already experienced in previous races.

Colapinto explained that he couldn't complete a clean lap with the softest tires and that the discomfort was total. “I couldn't do a lap with the soft tires all day,” he stated on ESPN, noting that with the medium compound, the situation barely improved.

The Argentine delved into the car's difficulties: “The rear had no grip at all and it was quite complicated. The soft tires were even worse.” The lack of stability once again affected his pace, forcing him to work from a shaky foundation from the first outing on the track.

In the second session, he managed to climb to 16th place, an improvement from the last place in the first practice. However, he was not satisfied. “We still have some of the same problems. We need to work overnight, the gap is smaller but we are far off,” he summarized.

The driver also compared the performance to the situation in Brazil. “The problems are similar to those I had in Brazil and we haven't been able to solve them yet,” he acknowledged. The reference was not accidental: after the accident in Interlagos, Alpine had to change the chassis, something that, according to him, affected his performance. “Unfortunately, it had to be changed and couldn't be repaired for this race. Hopefully, the other one will return in the upcoming competitions,” he added.

Colapinto also analyzed the difference with his teammate Pierre Gasly, who clearly outperformed him again. “It's the biggest difference, we went back to that first part of the season that was more difficult for me,” he admitted, concerned about the setback in sensations compared to the last races.

The Argentine will return to the track tonight at 9:30 PM for the third practice. Then, at 1:00 AM on Saturday, he will face the qualifying session of the Las Vegas GP, where he will seek to turn around a start that left more questions than answers.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.