Franco Colapinto feeling mixed emotions after F1 qualifying debut at Italian Grand Prix

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It was a mixed afternoon for Williams at Monza

After receiving a surprising promotion to Formula 1, Franco Colapinto experienced his first taste of qualifying on the big stage Saturday at the Italian Grand Prix.

It was an afternoon of mixed emotions for the young driver as he enjoyed the thrill of F1 qualifying, but the frustration at being eliminated in Q1. Colapinto was on his final push lap of the first segment when he made a slight mistake, denying him any chance at moving on.

“It was special to do my first Qualifying session in F1. I’ve enjoyed every moment of the weekend so far,” described Colapinto in Williams’ post-practice report. “Unfortunately, I made a little mistake on my second push which cost me the chance to do a good second lap. It was looking promising as I was in a good place after my first lap and, of course, working towards making a step on the second push. The car was very competitive, and I think it was possible to go through to Q2 today.”

Colapinto sought the silver lining after qualifying, noting the “potential” in the FW46 this weekend in Monza.

“However, this is just the start and there are things I still need to work on with only having a few laps in an F1 car. I’m a bit frustrated right now but I know there is a lot of potential, and the team has been working hard to make the car suit me a bit better,” continued Colapinto. “Tomorrow will provide a great opportunity to learn more about the car and tires as well as managing a full race distance in F1. Let’s see how it goes.’

On the other side of the garage, Alexander Albon was one of the winners of the afternoon, as he advanced into Q3 for just the fifth time this season. Albon finished ninth on Saturday, giving him and Williams a good chance at bringing some points home from Monza.

“P9 is great, so I’m very happy,” said Albon. “We were the best of the rest so far this weekend and that’s where we hoped to be, but I don’t think we truly believed we’d be here, so it’s good. When the car continues to deliver in the practice sessions, it does add a bit of extra pressure to make sure we deliver in Qualifying, but it all paid off. It’s a very different track to Zandvoort and as good as the upgrades have been, we know this track does suit our car, but we also know that if we didn’t have the upgrade, we wouldn’t be in Q3, so that’s a nice takeaway.

Albon noted that Nico Hülkenberg of Haas might be his biggest competition on Sunday. The Haas driver joined Albon in Q3 and will start alongside him in tenth.

“We were fighting the Haas throughout Qualifying and they seem to have slightly stronger race pace for tomorrow,” continued Albon. “Graining will be our biggest concern, but let’s see how we go.