Franco Colapinto has shone since debuting in Formula 1 but endured another low in qualifying for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix after the Williams driver crashed in Q2.
The 21-year-old has been an awesome addition to the travelling circus since Williams gifted Colapinto his surprise promotion to replace Logan Sargeant this August. It would have likely taken the Argentine a few more years to make F1 had Williams not fired the American early.
Colapinto faced a closed shop in Grove due to Williams signing Carlos Sainz to join in 2025 as the teammate of Alex Albon. But he has frequently flourished in Formula 1, to see Red Bull explore signing Colapinto. Yet some of the shine has fallen away for the Buenos Aires native.
Franco Colapinto leaves Martin Brundle dejected with his Las Vegas GP qualifying crash
Colapinto cost Williams a fortune at the Sao Paulo Grand last time out after crashing in both qualifying and then the race. The Grove crew faced a daunting break to rebuild both cars for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as well, after Albon also crashed heavily during qualifying in Brazil.
Williams had enough spares for the Las Vegas GP, and would need them after Colapinto put his car in the wall in Q2. Qualifying in Sin City had already got off to a poor start for Williams after Albon failed to progress from Q1 after the 28-year-old exceeded track limits at Turn 4.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats
A crash for Colapinto then made matters worse for Williams, and Brundle could not hide his disappointment given the financial burden the Sao Paulo GP had put on the Grove crew and their extensive work to rebuild the Argentine and also Albon’s car to go to the Las Vegas GP.
“Not another Williams in the wall,” Brundle sighed on Sky Sports F1 (23/11, 06:41). He also added: “That’s three wheels, three corners he’s had a go at. Front wing, rear wing, might have done a gearbox as well with the shock loading. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
“Neither Williams nor Colapinto needed that. That’s a lot of rebuilding to do before race day. He’s clipped the wall on the inside. Total judgment error, he’s just turned in too much.”
Costly crashes are costing Williams in the constructors’ championship
Colapinto had already brushed the wall on the exit of Turn 5, but he failed to learn his lesson and clipped the wall at T15. The second contact with concrete snapped the Argentine’s front suspension and fired him straight into the opposite barrier, destroying the FW46 once again.
Williams now face yet another lengthy repair bill and extensive work to rebuild the car so the team have Albon and also Colapinto race in the Las Vegas GP. Just the latter drove the Sao Paulo GP as the Super Sunday with a delayed qualifying meant they did not repair both cars.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
593 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
557 |
| 3 |
Red Bull Racing |
544 |
| 4 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
382 |
| 5 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
86 |
| 6 |
Alpine F1 Team |
49 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
46 |
| 8 |
Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team |
44 |
| 9 |
Williams F1 Team |
17 |
| 10 |
Sauber F1 Team |
0 |
Colapinto wasted Williams’ efforts to rebuild his car in Brazil, however, after finding the wall behind a safety car in the heavy rain. He will surely now be desperate to offer a better show in Sin City to thank their mechanics after another crash when the team need to score points.
While Colapinto justified Williams’ decision to offload Sargeant with his P8 in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and P10 in the United States Grand Prix, their failure to score points in Brazil saw the team slip to ninth in the constructors’ championship after Alpine’s double podium finish.
Leave feedback about this