17/05/2025 18:59
Franco Colapinto has discovered the verdict of the stewards' investigation into him, following a pit lane incident in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Following a first red flag in Q1, caused by a terrifying crash for Yuki Tsunoda, Alpine released Colapinto to the end of the pit lane too early. An immediate radio conversation after Colapinto was released confirmed that the Enstone-based outfit had made a mistake, one which has resulted in a one-place grid penalty for the Argentine. In their verdict, the stewards found that he had misunderstood Alpine's instructions and entered the fast-lane of the pit-lane before the official restart time had been confirmed. Alpine argued no sporting advantage had been gained, but the stewards felt a sporting penalty was required for the incident, for which both parties apologised. However, as the breach was unintentional, the penalty handed out was a one-place penalty. This follows the precedent handed out to Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in Bahrain qualifying, each being handed a one-place penalty for a similar offence. The stewards did warn, however, that a similar breach in different circumstances could "entail a more severe sporting penalty in future." However, it is the least of the Argentine's worries, as he too suffered a big crash in the first part of qualifying. Colapinto crashed at Turn 4 on his final hot lap, resulting in significant damage to his car. It marked his third big smash in his last five grands prix.
