Alpine’s Franco Colapinto faced a challenging return to Formula 1 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, receiving a one-place grid penalty following a pit lane infringement during Saturday’s qualifying session at Imola. The Argentine rookie, making his first appearance of the 2025 season after replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine, was penalized for entering the fast lane prematurely during a red flag period, dropping him from 15th to 16th on the starting grid for Sunday’s race.
The incident occurred in Q1 after a high-speed crash by Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda triggered a red flag with 12 minutes remaining. As teams awaited the FIA’s confirmation of a restart time, Colapinto was released from his garage into the fast lane, breaching Article 12.2.1 i) of the International Sporting Code and the race director’s event notes. According to the FIA, Alpine instructed Colapinto to “creep out” of the pit box without being fully released, but the driver misunderstood and entered the fast lane too early. Both Colapinto and an Alpine representative apologized, acknowledging the mistake as inadvertent. The stewards noted that while the breach did not provide a sporting advantage, a penalty was necessary, resulting in the one-place grid drop.
Colapinto’s qualifying woes didn’t end there. In the closing moments of Q1, the 21-year-old lost control of his Alpine at the Tamburello chicane, spinning into the barriers and causing a second red flag. The crash, which heavily damaged the front of his car, prevented him from setting a competitive lap time in Q2 despite advancing from Q1. The combination of the penalty and the crash left Colapinto frustrated, as he lamented pushing too hard on a track with tight margins. “It’s a pity,” Colapinto said. “The car was very competitive, and we found a lot of pace, but I made a small mistake that cost us.”
The penalty mirrors similar punishments handed to Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli earlier in the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix for premature pit lane exits. The FIA emphasized that while Colapinto’s breach was unintentional, future infractions could lead to harsher penalties. Alpine confirmed Colapinto underwent precautionary medical checks after the crash and was cleared to race, expressing optimism about his potential to recover in Sunday’s Grand Prix.