An error at the moment of departure condemned
Franco Colapinto
to an ungratifying 18th place in the
Formula 2 sprint race
that took place this Friday at the
Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir
, and which is part of the first weekend of week of competition in the 2024 season of the category that serves as the opening act for
Formula 1
.
The driver born 20 years ago in Pilar had achieved the 16th best time in Thursday's classification and had gained an extra place on the starting grid as a result of the exclusion of the Indian
Kush Maini
after a height violation was detected. of the left front external strake of your car.
For this reason, Colapinto took 15th starting place.
However,
the Argentine was delayed in the formation lap and that ended up sealing his fate
.
The thing is that the Argentine boy should not have started from the grid, which he arrived at after avoiding some cars that were already in his position, but rather he should have started from the pits.
Still not aware of that mistake, the Pilar native had a good start that allowed him to overtake the Mexican
Rafael Villagómez
and the Japanese
Ritomo Miyata
in the first lap.
And in the third lap, after a neutralization with a
virtual safety car
due to a mistake by the Belgian
Amaury Cordell
, he also managed to overtake the American Juan Manuel Correa.
However, on the ninth lap,
when he remained in 12th place, he was notified that he had to complete a 10-second stop and go
in the pits due to the error in the start.
This situation made him fall to 20th and penultimate place in the peloton, only ahead of Villagómez (he had had to stop to change a tire, so he had lost almost a lap).
From there, Colapinto, aboard car number 12 of the
MP Motorsport
team , tried to make a comeback in the last 14 laps of the competition, but could only reach 18th place.
THIS IS WHY COLAPINTO WAS SANCTIONED!
The Argentine did not occupy the box that corresponded to him at the start and had to complete a 10-second stop and go in the pits.
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“I don't really know what happened. I had a problem on the formation lap with the clutch. When I released it, it didn't come out. We were in the right drawer, so I don't know what happened. "I don't know why they penalized me
," he explained to the Argentine after the sprint race.
“The pace wasn't that bad, now we have to work for tomorrow.
“It is a longer career, with more opportunities
,” added the Williams Academy driver, who last year finished fourth in the Formula 3 championship.
Friday's sprint test was won by Barbadian
Zane Maloney
, from the Rodin Motorsport team, who beat the American
Jack Crawford
(Dams Lucas Oil) by 5,490, the protagonist of a great comeback after starting from 10th place.
The third step of the podium was occupied by the Spanish
Josep María Martí
(Campos Racing), who also gained eight positions from his 11th starting position.
The Frenchman Isack Hadjar (Campos Racing), the Estonian Paul Aron (Hitech Pulse-Eight), the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto (Invicta Racing), the British Zak O'Sullivan (Art Grand Prix) and the Norwegian Dennis Hauger ( MP Motorsport).
The main competition of the first date of the Formula 2 season will be held on Saturday starting at 7:30 and will cover 32 laps of the 5,412-meter Bahrain International Circuit.
In this test, Colapinto will also start from 15th place.