Ready for debut
Argentine Franco Colapinto is the man of the moment in F1. The announcement, made Wednesday morning, of his promotion to full-time race driver for the Alpine team for at least the next five GPs – news that came just hours after the surprising resignation of Oliver Oakes as team principal – made the whole of Argentina celebrate, where Franco Colapinto is seen as a true idol.
The debut of the former Williams junior will take place at Imola, a track Franco Colapinto knows well and where he has already won in his career, taking victory in the 2022 F3 Sprint and again in the 2024 F2 Sprint. Last year, the Argentine also finished fifth in the Feature Race. To best prepare for his race debut with the Enstone team, Franco Colapinto was sent to the Netherlands, to Zandvoort, where he completed a test day yesterday driving the 2023 car.
Dutch test
Car #43 completed an intense work session, running both in the morning and afternoon. According to reports from the Dutch site Formule1.nl, his best time was around 1:12. However, this lap time is of limited relevance, given the track conditions characterized by cloudy and cold weather. Air temperatures around the circuit never exceeded 15°-16°C.
Curiously, Franco Colapinto was not alone on track. In the afternoon, McLaren academy talent Alex Dunne also ran laps, driving a sponsor-less MCL60.
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