Franco Colapinto admits the toughest part of crashing in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix wasn’t the physical hit, it was having to face his Williams team having once again crashed the car.

His team principal James Vowles “wasn’t very happy” with the situation.

Franco Colapinto: I think that was the hardest part…

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

Arriving on the Formula 1 grid at the Italian Grand Prix having been called up by Williams to replace the ousted Logan Sargeant, Colapinto wowed the paddock as he scored points in Baku and Austin.

It led to reports that Red Bull were interested in signing him for 2025, the team said to be considering even putting him in the RB21 alongside Max Verstappen.

Red Bull’s interest though, has since waned after three big crashes shone a spotlight on the 21-year-old’s inexperience and had Williams counting the cost.

Crashing twice on the Sunday of the Brazilian Grand Prix where qualifying was run in the morning before the race, Williams worked furiously in the weeks after to stockpile spare parts so that both cars could go racing in Las Vegas.

Colapinto undid a lot of that when he crashed in qualifying in Sin City, his Turn 14 crash destroying all four corners of the FW46 in an impact that registered at more than 50G.

He was taken to the medical centre for checks with a further evaluation carried out before the Grand Prix but admits the toughest part wasn’t the hit, it was having to face the team after wrecking the car.

“I think that was the hardest part,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “When you are driving, you are going to a limit and I think for the situation I had to take more risks to try to get into Q3, probably not as much.

“But, you know, I try my best. It was difficult to manage that last run in Q2. We were very close to Gasly at the start of the lap, I did a very big gap – a five or four-second gap before starting the push – and then I think he really, really slowed down after 16 after that kink left and before starting the lap, he slowed down so, so much that I was eight-tenths behind him.

“I was in a very, very awkward position, and really not ideal. So I had to take more risk that I should have, had a lot of dirty air, so it’s just a tough qualy for us.

“I think the pace was there to be in Q3, very close, so it’s tough. We should have been close to it or into the top 10.”

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Franco Colapinto admits James Vowles ‘wasn’t very happy’

But while his team principal Vowles was not happy, Colapinto applauded how he handled it, saying that’s why Williams will return to their former glory under Vowles’ leadership.

“Well, he wasn’t very happy, but he has been always very, very supportive,” said the Argentinean driver. “I always take out of every bad moment very positive things, and it’s every time because of James – of his thinking and his mentality and his way of moving forward as a team leader and as a team.

“I learned a lot from him, and he has been an amazing team leader for the little time that I’ve been working with him.

“I know how important all this is for him, and it also is for me. But when these things happen, when two tough weekends in a row happen like this, the mentality and the will to keep pushing forward and to not give up and always finding a solution to the problems is his strength, and always finding a positive thing in the negatives.

“And I think that is very important, and is what is going to move this team back to the top.”

Colapinto was given the go-ahead to contest the Las Vegas Grand Prix having been cleared by the FIA’s medical team but started from the pit lane as Williams changed the car’s setup and fitted a sixth gearbox.

The rookie says while his confidence had not been dented by his crash 24 hours earlier, he was a bit cautious at the start.

“No, I think at the start of the race, I was taking a bit more margin,” he said. “It’s difficult after a crash like yesterday to get back in the rhythm.

“Going straight into a race start from the pit lane, it wasn’t what I wanted. But I think slowly I started to get back in the pace. I had a really good, strong second part of the race, but I just lost a lot of lap, a lot of time, a lot of seconds at the beginning of the race.”

He added: “The idea was to have a clear race, of course. I think it was not ideal after such a big crash to go straight into the race and I wasn’t feeling so comfortable.

“In the first stint, I was really, really struggling with the balance. I had a little oversteer, very difficult to manage tyres. Not in a good window.

“As the car kept running and the track also kept getting a bit better, it came a bit more towards us. But it wasn’t feeling good at the beginning. I lost a lot of time in the first in that strategy, a lot of dirty air, and the tyres were opening very quick, a lot of graining straight away, under the air, and a lot of sliding.”

Colapinto finished the Grand Prix in 14th place, but at least he finished. He has two more races before saying goodbye to his temporary Williams race seat as the team has already confirmed Carlos Sainz as Alex Albon’s 2025 team-mate.

It remains to be seen whether Colapinto secures a spot on the 2025.

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