COLAPINTO: “I RECEIVED A PENALTY DESPITE NOT MAKING A MISTAKE IN THE MEXICO GP”
Franco Colapinto stated that he disagrees with the decision to impose a 10-second penalty on him for his contact with Liam Lawson at the Mexico Grand Prix.
The Williams driver made contact with the front wing of the RB driver while attempting to pass Lawson from the outside at the first corner in the closing stages of the race, causing his right rear wheel to hit Lawson’s car. The stewards concluded that while Lawson was “defending aggressively,” he had given “Colapinto enough space to stay on the track.”
Due to the incident, which caused damage to Lawson’s car and necessitated a pit stop, Colapinto was deemed largely responsible and received a 10-second penalty.
When asked about his views on the penalty, Colapinto told F1’s post-race program on YouTube, “I don’t completely agree with the penalty. I think it’s very similar to the incident between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in Austin. It’s one of those situations where the driver on the inside pushes you off the track. I think I was slightly ahead at the apex, and Liam braked at the last moment, pushing me off the track.”
“I believe the reason I received the penalty was because Liam broke his front wing. They gave me this penalty based on the outcome, even though it wasn’t my mistake. But the stewards shouldn’t look at the consequences after a small incident.”
Lawson, denying that Colapinto acted maliciously, told Sky Sports F1: “I gave him space at Turn 2; he came in much faster than I expected. I tried to get away from him but made contact with his rear tire. It wasn’t his fault; it was just an awkward accident.”
Colapinto finished the Mexico Grand Prix in 12th place, remaining in that position due to the penalty he received, as Esteban Ocon was far behind. Lawson finished in 16th place.
