An unexpected element in the cell phone Franco Colapinto caught the attention of the followers of the Formula 1: an animated sticker that portrays him with Lewis Hamiltonone of its references in the highest category of motorsports. The image, inspired by a photo taken last year during the press conference at the Media Day of the Brazilian GP, was transformed into a Snoopy-style caricature and accompanies the Argentine driver in each competition.
The existence of this sticker came to light before Las Vegas Grand Prixwhen an account dedicated to following the trajectory of Colapinto noticed the detail in a recent image. According to what went viral on social networks, said sticker was a gift that would have been given to him during the weekend of the Chinese Grand Prix, at a stage in which the Argentine was still working as a reserve driver for Alpine.
In that context, a group of fans gave him the cartoon, which caused the young pilot to be surprised and pleased. Colapinto He expressed to them: “I’ll give it to Lewis (Hamilton)”although he clarified that the illustration corresponded to a moment prior to the transfer of hamilton to Ferrari and his own Alpine.
The original photo, which gave rise to the animated image, was taken during the press conference of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in Brazil last year. In that image, hamilton wore the clothing of mercedes and Colapinto that of Williamsthe previous teams of both in the Maximum.
In that image it also appears Lance Strollwho was involved in a verbal exchange with the Argentine before the race. The Canadian, consulted by the press, declared ironically: “I heard about that. I don’t know, maybe he’s frustrated and angry with life.”and added: “I don’t know how many points he has in the championship. I can’t tell you”as published Motorsport.
For its part, Colapinto He offered his version of the events and qualified the episode: “It was a hot comment after the race. I was right behind and I just saw the moment. But, of course, sorry if it affected him. I was very hot after the race and I hope everything is fine between us”.
On a sporting level, this Sunday Colapinto concluded in the 17th position in it Las Vegas Grand Prixdisputed in the Strip Circuit and corresponding to the twenty-second date of the F1 season. The 22-year-old Argentine driver faced difficulties with a Alpine which once again showed a lack of rhythm due to the loss of grip due to the breakage of the rear diffuser due to a touch of Alex Albon (Williams) at the start. In addition, he suffered from poor management in his only pit stop in which his team took 4 seconds.
“It was not the best result in today’s race, since a contact from behind at the beginning caused damage and loss of downforce throughout the race.. I had a relatively clean start and tried to avoid the chaos that ensued in Turn 1, but Alex (Albon) hit me from behind. I felt a small contact, but the floor and the diffuser suffered a strong impact. It’s hard to say if it was due to the damage we sustained, but the car felt much worse than in previous sessions. The balance was poor today and we lacked rear grip, which caused us to skid a lot. It’s a shame, as you always want to do your best, but sometimes these things happen in races that are beyond your control. We need to move forward quickly and we hope to finish the season on a positive note in the last two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” Franco explained in the press release released by the French team.
The competition, which offered few alternatives, was dominated by Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who continues in the fight to defend his world title. After the disqualifications of Norris and Piastri, the podium was completed George Russell (Mercedes) and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes). The closing of the season now moves to the Middle East: the penultimate event will be next weekend in the Qatar Grand Prixat the Losail International Circuit, and the last race will be held a week later in Abu Dhabion the Yas Marina route.
