Franco Colapinto on no Dutch upgrades: «painful weekend for me” | OneFootball

Franco Colapinto heads into the Dutch Grand Prix at a disadvantage compared to his teammate Pierre Gasly. Alpine will bring a major upgrade package to Zandvoort, but it will only be available on the Frenchman’s car, meaning the Argentine will have to race this weekend with the current specification of his single-seater.

Colapinto acknowledged that the upgrade has created high expectations within the team and that data gathered in the simulator shows a significant improvement. “In the simulator it looks very strong and, if that’s the case, it will be very good for us,” the Argentine explained to the media in Zandvoort.

The Alpine driver also admitted that the difference between the two cars could be significant. “The bigger the difference in downforce we can achieve between the two cars, the better it will be for us,” he said, while also understanding the team’s decision: “They want to do well too.”

Colapinto is hoping the new package will allow Alpine to close the gap to the Racing Bulls, who this weekend will have Yuki Tsunoda behind the wheel due to an injury to Isack Hadjar. “The data indicates that it’s a very strong and very big improvement, so we hope we can take the steps we need to fight the Racing Bulls and, hopefully, be ahead of them,” he said.

The upgrade was originally scheduled to arrive at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, and for both cars. However, Alpine managed to bring its debut forward. “The factory has worked really hard. It was an upgrade that was supposed to arrive in Monza and for both cars, but it got here earlier than expected,” Colapinto said.

The Argentine knows the situation could be uncomfortable during the weekend. “Of course, it seems that if it works fully, it could be a bit of a painful weekend for me,” he admitted. Even so, he said he will try to make the most of the car he has available.

“I’m going to do my best so that, together, we can try to maximize the package we have. Hopefully it works well and we can make good progress heading into Monza and the next part of the season,” he concluded.

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