Colapinto explains: 'I used to cheer for Perez in Formula 1'

Franco Colapinto used to dream about joining Formula 1. When he made an early step up into Williams as a replacement for Logan Sargeant, his dream became within his reach. However, when he was still dreaming about times like this, he would cheer for Sergio Perez.

"Of course, starting from Fangio, then for me, it was also Lolé [Carlos Reutemann], that he was a bit closer to... He was, I think, the last Argentinian who was really strong in Formula 1, you know, who won races and has been fighting for championships." Colapinto mentioned during the 2024 season.

Perez has since been replaced by Liam Lawson at Red Bull Racing, but Colapinto explained, "We haven't had an Argentinian driver for a long time, and I haven't grown since I was very little. I never had someone from my country to be cheering for in Formula 1. I never had that person. That one was maybe Checo, you know when I was young, and I was cheering for him being from Mexico."

With Colapinto joining Alpine as one of their reserve drivers, he will once again be a presence in the paddock. About his presence, he said, "I never had someone from Argentina. And I think it's something that the kids nowadays have with me. And it's something very, very nice to see and just very positive".

This article was written in collaboration with Esteban den Toom.

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