"To have the opportunity to be here, speaking to all of you, it's a pleasure."
New Williams driver Franco Colapinto there – addressing a packed scrum of Formula 1’s press corps in a sweltering tent at Monza that was in places five people deep.
Let’s see if the 21-year-old still feels that way after the nine races he will compete in to end this campaign in place of the ousted Logan Sargeant. After all, Lando Norris has grown weary of his expanded media duties – per F1’s rules – after just a few weeks now McLaren is firmly at the head of the pack…
But it was a sweet start for the Argentinian. He moved to Italy to pursue his single-seater racing dream aged 14 – learning Italian from mechanics at a kart factory before starting to climb the ladder from Spanish Formula 4.
He joined Williams’ Academy at the start of last year, and now that the team has moved to drop Sargeant after a string of underwhelming results alongside Alex Albon, he becomes its 55th F1 world championship race driver.
“I am just extremely grateful with Williams for the opportunity,” he added. “It came very late, of course, but I'm always ready.
“I was not expecting it, to be honest. I cannot explain you how happy I am to be here with Williams. They have been very supportive and the opportunity that they have given to me is insane.”
Less insane that Colapinto has been granted his debut at Monza – one of F1’s less technical tracks and where the Williams package has performed strongly in recent years.
“If I could choose a track to do my first race at,” Albon said when asked about his new team-mate in this weekend’s pre-event press conference, “I think Monza is one of the more forgiving ones. Better than Baku or Singapore.”
Colapinto can also see out the 2024 campaign without the pressure to earn a 2025 F1 race seat – at least not at Williams, which will have Carlos Sainz join Albon for next year. Colapinto says “I have no idea about next year” at this stage regarding his plans for 2025, where he could return to F2 competition.
Overall, this was a clear moment of excitement for the youngster, who is out to grasp his chance solidly. Alongside this opportunity, Williams announced a new Argentina-based sponsor on Thursday evening.
Colapinto found out he’d be getting his F1 chance last Monday, when he was “in the Formula 2 sim, with MP [Motorsport], preparing the race with my team for Formula 2 here in Monza”.
Next, he was in Williams’ Grove factory, where he “prepared a seat” and “prepared in the simulator very well” for his second chance driving the FW46 after his FP1 outing at Silverstone in place of Sargeant.
“The race engineer, the performance engineer – they were giving me all their information, all their tips and details to be quick as soon as possible,” he continued. “To make that learning process a bit quicker.
“I am privileged that I was able to be in the [Williams] simulator for so long in the past, even though I was racing only in Formula 2, because at the end it prepared me a little bit more to Formula 1.
“To go through all those processes, to do so many things to do in the car, and I think to be doing laps and laps and laps there, it helped me a little bit to be a bit more comfortable today. I sit in the car and I know the wheel and many things that are sometimes a bit difficult.”
Colapinto answered every question chucked his way across the congested pen area attached to the mixed zone area where F1’s TV broadcasters do their many interviews.
He started off open, gradually bringing his arms to fold in front of him as the 15-minute session wore on – even running over by five minutes given Colapinto’s generally effusive answers. A closer look at his hands revealed a slight tremble, but by the end, with these wisely now placed in his pockets, the relaxed demeanour had returned.
He was particularly amused by a question asking if he feels like Argentina’s Lionel Messi before playing in the World Cup – having also left home and moved abroad at a young age in something of a parallel with the football megastar. At least, that’s what the question implied.
“I know how it is to feel that, but sometimes I see that they compare me and I am like, ‘you guys are crazy!’” Colapinto replied, gracefully.
“Like, Messi is god – you cannot do how you're comparing me. But there is 23 years without an F1 driver from Argentina [the last being Minardi and Prost racer Gaston Mazzacane at the turn of the millennium]. So, it's making Argentinians very happy because it's a very special moment for all of them.”
As he prepares to take to the Monza track six days after Sargeant’s enormous Zandvoort FP3 crash that effectively ended his F1 career, Colapinto’s final revelation from his first media grilling was that “we did” – he had spoken with the American since William’s brutal move was announced.
“It's very tough,” Colapinto concluded. “I think it's never easy for the team, for the driver, for the driver coming in to be changed in the middle of the season.
“And for all those things happening, it's of course not nice for Logan. He had an amazing opportunity to get to F1. He had some very good performances.
“I think he got up to speed very quick in Formula 1 and of course it's an opportunity that I'm going to take, whatever happens.
“I've been working to win in Formula 1 since I was very young, and this opportunity, you never know when it's going to come back. So I am of course taking the chance. I'm going to try to do my best.
“I understand it's very, very, very sad for Logan, but I think he had a great time in F1. He did a very good job. I hope he has a great performance in whatever he does next. He's a very good driver.”
