Franco Colapinto was left in tears after finishing ninth at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, despite recovering from 16th place following a costly mistake at Monza. The Argentine had briefly climbed as high as third after the red-flag restart before running off at Lesmo and dropping down the order.
Colapinto started seventh after qualifying eighth and gaining a position when Kimi Antonelli’s grid penalty was applied. He immediately moved forward at the start, gaining from the opening-lap clash between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc and then moving ahead again after Leclerc’s crash brought out the red flag.
After the restart, Colapinto overtook Max Verstappen and moved into third place, putting himself in position to fight for a remarkable podium with Alpine. But his race changed dramatically when he lost control at the Variante Lesmo and ran into the gravel, dropping all the way to 16th.
The mistake forced Colapinto to change his race plan and begin another recovery drive from the back of the field. Despite the setback, the Alpine had strong pace, allowing the Argentine to regain seven positions and eventually cross the finish line ninth for two points. The FIA confirmed Colapinto as ninth, 47.353s behind winner Kimi Antonelli.
Pierre Gasly, who had taken his maiden F1 pole position for Alpine, finished seventh after leading the opening phase of the race.
Colapinto regrets costly mistake
Despite salvaging points, Colapinto was visibly devastated by what he felt was a missed opportunity. Speaking to ESPN after the race, the Argentine acknowledged that Alpine had given him a car capable of fighting much further up the order.
“It was a very difficult and frustrating race. I wasted a great opportunity for the team,” Colapinto said.
“I had a very good car and could have finished further ahead, but I made a very big mistake. I couldn’t give the team the result they expected.”
Colapinto was visibly emotional as he reflected on the error. His comments echoed his immediate assessment of the incident, with the Alpine driver acknowledging that he had completely lost the car and struggled to understand how the mistake happened so abruptly.
“I’m very sad, but now it’s time to learn from this and think about the next race,” he added.
The result nevertheless gave Colapinto his sixth top-10 finish of the 2026 season and two valuable points for Alpine. The team’s strong performance at Monza was highlighted by Gasly’s pole position and both cars finishing inside the top nine.
Colapinto’s frustration was amplified by the pace Alpine showed throughout the weekend. With Gasly starting from pole and Colapinto briefly running third, the team had a genuine opportunity to challenge for a major result at Monza.
Instead, Colapinto left Italy with ninth place and the feeling that a much bigger result had slipped away.
Formula 1 now heads directly to Spain for the 14th round of the 2026 season, with the Spanish Grand Prix taking place from September 11-13 at Madrid’s new street circuit. GRANDE PRÊMIO will continue to cover all the action from the new venue.
FAQ
Where did Franco Colapinto finish the 2026 Italian GP?
Colapinto finished ninth at Monza, scoring two points for Alpine after recovering from 16th following his off-track excursion.
What happened to Franco Colapinto at the Italian GP restart?
Colapinto overtook Max Verstappen and briefly moved into third place after the restart, but then lost control at Lesmo and ran into the gravel, dropping to 16th.
How many points did Franco Colapinto score at Monza?
Colapinto scored two points by finishing ninth, giving him his sixth top-10 result of the 2026 season.
