Breaking: FIA announce penalty verdict after embarrassing inc…read more
FIA announce penalty verdict after embarrassing inc…read more
The FIA stewards have issued their official ruling on a mishap that unfolded during Saturday qualifying for the Imola Grand Prix, handing Alpine’s freshly promoted driver Franco Colapinto a one-place grid drop for Sunday’s race.
The drama began in Q1 after Yuki Tsunoda’s heavy shunt brought out red flags. While the session clock was stopped and teams awaited the race-director’s green light for a restart, Alpine instructed Colapinto to “creep” his A525 forward toward the pit-lane exit—essentially edging into position without fully joining the fast lane. The 21-year-old Argentine misunderstood the nuance of that call, rolling completely into the fast lane before race control had confirmed the restart time. Because the International Sporting Code (Article 12.2.1 i) and the event notes explicitly forbid any car from entering the fast lane under red-flag conditions, the stewards were duty-bound to investigate.
In the post-session hearing Colapinto and an Alpine representative accepted that a “miscommunication” lay at the heart of the error. Alpine explained that the intention was only to move the car a few metres—common practice to keep tyre temperatures up—yet Colapinto believed he was cleared to go. Once he had crossed the line separating the working area from the fast lane, reversing or pushing the car back would have blocked the pit exit entirely, so the team told him to continue toward the end of the pit lane and wait.
The stewards acknowledged that neither Alpine nor Colapinto gained a performance advantage: ample time remained on the clock for every other driver to complete run plans once the session resumed. Even so, they deemed the breach “inadvertent but significant,” noting that compliance with pit-lane protocols is critical for safety when marshals and machinery may still be on track. With that in mind, they delivered what they considered the lightest appropriate sanction—a drop of one grid position—while warning that similar offences “in different circumstances could entail a more severe sporting penalty.”
Colapinto’s Imola weekend was already bordering on disastrous. Alpine surprised the paddock earlier in the week by promoting him to a full-time seat after just six rounds of the 2025 season, sidelining the struggling Jack Doohan. Saturday’s fumble compounded the pressure, and minutes later Colapinto lost the rear of his car while attacking the Tamburello chicane on fresh tyres. The ensuing impact triggered another red flag and left him stranded in the gravel, his best lap placing him only 15th. The penalty now demotes him to 16th for the Grand Prix.
Despite the setback, both driver and team struck conciliatory tones. Colapinto apologised for misinterpreting the instruction, while Alpine assured the stewards they would refine their pit-wall phrasing to avoid a repeat. For the youngster, Sunday provides a chance at redemption: overtaking around Imola is challenging but not impossible, especially with the long run down to the Variante Tamburello on lap one. Still, starting 16th on a tight, old-school circuit is far from ideal, and the spotlight will be firmly on Alpine’s new recruit to prove that the mid-season gamble was justified.
As the stewards reminded in their verdict, intent is no shield against consequence in Formula 1’s rulebook—particularly when safety protocols are in play. Colapinto’s penalty is slight, but the warning implicit in the decision is loud: in the heat of the moment, clarity on the radio can be as valuable as raw speed on the stopwatch.
