The fall tube is starting to take a bit of a chill as winter arrives. Franco Colapinto, brilliant since his debut at Monza at the beginning of September, has suffered the blow in recent weeks. In Brazil he had costly accidents, first in qualifying – like his teammate Alex Albon – and then in the race.
Three weeks later, the Argentinian did not have much more success in Las Vegas. While he achieved a good qualification (passed into Q2 unlike Albon), the native of Buenos Aires could aim for a second Q3 in Formula 1 after that achieved in Azerbaijan. But his excess commitment, combined with a lack of experience inherent to a boy having competed in only 6 Grand Prix, put an end to his hopes.
A hit on the inside of the 17th and final turn broke his suspension and sent him crashing into the wall, on the other side of this curve which is taken at full speed. A very violent accident which completely destroyed his car and caused him to suffer a 50G shock!
Colapinto re-evaluated on Sunday
Franco Colapinto quickly said on the radio that he was fine, but the violence of the shock forced him to take a trip to the medical center, where he was examined. The doctors have authorized him to return to the hotel to rest, but he will be re-evaluated before the start of the Grand Prix, explains his boss James Vowles.
“While he is resting, his car is being repaired. The chassis has been changed and we will make sure it is ready if Franco is declared fit to drive tomorrow. His health is first and foremost the priority “Carbon fibers can be repaired, metal and cars can be rebuilt, but not health. We will come back to you tomorrow when we have more news, but in the meantime, we have a lot of work to do tonight.” assures the former Mercedes strategy director in a video published on social networks.
If Franco Colapinto is declared fit, he will in any case have to start from the back of the grid because of the penalty imposed for changing the chassis under Parc Fermé regime.
Photo credit – Williams
