2024-11-23 03:30:00
The time to tune the car for the Las Vegas Grand Prix is over. The third and final free practice session was done on a street circuit, which presented huge challenges, first of all related to the low temperatures at the time of the event (which affected the tires and brakes), as everything was at night. In addition to this there is the land owned by the layout.
It took a long time for the riders to get on the track, guessing what others were starting to show. The Williamses have been among the longest-awaited to get to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Franco Colapinto did it with 31 minutes remaining.
At the start of his first attempt, the Argentine lost control of the car at the first corner and had to step aside. In addition, he cut through traffic and was more than 14 seconds behind the best timer at the time. But in terms of continuity, Franco improved, finishing 10th on his second attempt. In the third race he finished fifth, showing that he was finding the limits of the track and, most importantly, the ideal temperature for his tires, and the moderate compound.
In his final outing on soft tires, Franco Colapinto finished eighth fastest, just a thousandths behind his teammate Alex Albon (seventh) three.
On the positive side, Williams managed to keep the Argentinian’s car in good condition, having suffered a serious accident in San Pablo and had to be restored. Additionally, the team made good use of the data collected during the free test in Las Vegas and put a competitive car on the track.
The track is more than 6 kilometers long and is one of the longest tracks in history. It has long straights and can reach speeds of 350 kilometers per hour. Engine power is one of the keys.
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Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) had a problem with five minutes remaining and was red flagged, ending the free test early.
George Russell confirmed that Mercedes are comfortable at this track because of its long straights and, most importantly, the cold temperatures. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) followed closely behind. The first two models use engines from the German brand, the same as those from Williams.
Rankings will now determine the starting order for the Grand Prix. The classification will begin at 3 a.m. Saturday in Argentina (10 p.m. Friday in Las Vegas). You can follow the action on Fox Sports and Disney+.
This is Franco Colapinto’s seventh appearance in Formula 1. St. Paul retired.
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– What challenges did Franco Colapinto face during the free practice session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix?
**Interview with Franco Colapinto about the Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practice Session**
**Editor:** Welcome, Franco! Thank you for joining us today. You’ve just completed the third and final free practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It sounds like it was quite a challenging experience. Can you tell us about the conditions on the track?
**Colapinto:** Thanks for having me! Yes, it was definitely a tough session. The low temperatures at night made it difficult for the tires and brakes to reach optimal performance. That affected our setup quite a bit. We had to adapt quickly to the conditions, which were quite different from what we usually encounter during the day.
**Editor:** I noticed that you were one of the last drivers to hit the track. How did that affect your strategy for the session?
**Colapinto:** Well, being one of the last meant we had to rely on what other drivers were doing. You can learn a lot from their initial laps, but it also adds a bit of pressure to perform once you get out there. I got on track with just 31 minutes left and unfortunately lost control at the first corner on my first attempt, which wasn’t ideal.
**Editor:** How did you manage to recover from that situation?
**Colapinto:** After that little mishap, it was all about focusing on getting back into a rhythm. I had to recalibrate my approach and make sure I was more careful. I also had to navigate through traffic, which was tricky since I was already quite far behind the leading times.
**Editor:** With the free practice sessions concluded, what are your thoughts moving forward into qualifying?
**Colapinto:** I think we have a good baseline to work from despite the challenges. We need to refine our setup further based on what we learned today. The key will be maximizing our performance during qualifying, so we’ll be working closely with the team to ensure we hit all the targets.
**Editor:** That sounds like a solid plan. Best of luck in qualifying, Franco! We’re looking forward to seeing you perform well.
**Colapinto:** Thank you! I appreciate it. Let’s hope for a great race weekend.
