Colapinto crashes late in Q1, finishes 16th in Azerbaijan qualifying | OneFootball

Terror. That’s how the end of Q1 could be described for Franco Colapinto at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Argentine driver had put together a good performance at the start of qualifying, but a heavy crash into a barrier in the final seconds left him out of the second session. As a result, he will have to start from 16th on the grid on Sunday, unless a component change forces him to take a penalty.

The two Alpine cars decided to wait until the end of Q1 to attempt their final laps, seeking cleaner air and less traffic to achieve better times. However, turn four turned out to be a nightmare for both. First, it was Pierre Gasly who had to use the escape road to avoid a crash, as he didn’t take the corner well. Seconds later, after he had already dropped to 16th but still needed to finish his lap, Colapinto misjudged the turn, went off track, and hit the barrier sideways, which resulted in a red flag and the end of the session.

Even in the previous laps, the Argentine had brushed against the barriers. However, he had come out unscathed from those encounters, avoiding damage and staying within the positions that would allow him to advance to Q2. Nevertheless, the disastrous end to Q1 left the Argentine devastated, something that was evident when he got out of the car and walked, head down, toward the pits. Thus, the driver from Pilar will now start from 16th on the grid, although it remains to be seen if he will need any component changes that could result in a grid penalty, as he was already on the limit. Meanwhile, Gasly will start three places behind him.

Curiously, a year ago, Colapinto was involved in a similar accident at the dangerous Baku circuit. That time, driving a Williams, the Argentine crashed into the same barrier during FP1 after a long slide. The fun fact? He finished eighth in Sunday’s race.

Apart from what happened with the Argentine and the Frenchman, the fact is that the Baku qualifying session started off eventfully, with three red flags that temporarily suspended it. Even in Q2, an accident involving Oliver Bearman forced another red flag and another pause in the action. Of course, the Baku circuit is known for its narrow streets and risky corners, so no one was spared from trouble.

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