Esteban Ocon has apologized to Franco Colapinto for taking away his bonus point at the US GP, but he felt he had to do what was necessary.
Colapinto has attracted attention in the F1 paddock since making his debut with Williams at the Italian Grand Prix as a replacement for Logan Sargeant.
The Argentine has scored five points so far, making him a contender for the Sauber/Audi F1 2025 position. However, he could have had six points if Ocon hadn’t intervened.
Colapinto was set to earn a point for finishing in 10th place and another for achieving the fastest lap of the race. However, Alpine driver Ocon took the fastest lap, preventing Colapinto—and more importantly, Williams—from getting that point, which is crucial for their fight to avoid finishing 9th in the Constructors’ Championship.
Ocon expressed sympathy for the 21-year-old but emphasized that he had to prioritize his team’s needs.
Since Ocon finished in 18th place, he didn’t earn the point for himself, as drivers must finish in the top 10 to score points. However, he denied that point to Williams, leaving them with 17 points, while Alpine sits in 9th place in the Constructors’ Championship standings with 13 points.
Ocon told the media, including PlanetF1.com, that his US GP was “compromised” after a collision with Colapinto’s Williams teammate, Alex Albon, at the start. He mentioned, “Nice to recover a few positions, two or three, but yeah, we were not going to be in contention for anything special there.
“So yeah, the only thing at the end was to recover the fastest lap, get it away from Williams, from Franco, and we managed to do that successfully.
“It’s a battle for everything in the end, and a point is a top-10 finish, so it is very important. Sorry to him, because he deserved it, to be fair.”
Colapinto was also in the spotlight in Austin after an awkward moment with Martin Brundle when the Sky F1 presenter tried to have their first conversation during his famous grid walk segment.
Colapinto explained the situation ahead of the Mexican GP, saying it “wasn’t a great moment to speak to camera,” while also showing respect for Brundle, who had nine podium finishes as an F1 driver. “There isn’t much of a story,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com.
“I spoke with Williams, and I don’t have much experience with this—first having to go to the grid and then waiting there for 30 minutes, jumping out of the car, walking around, and everyone wanting to do interviews.
“I have been quite focused for the races, and Connor [Bean, Williams press officer] has been really helping me not do interviews on the grid, but in the paddock, and all those things, so I can stay focused on what I have to do – which is driving first.
“Martin, of course, has been extremely massive – a mega, mega, mega driver and he left a legacy in the sport as well.
“He never did any interview [with] me, and it was, at least for me, not a great moment to be speaking to the camera. “I was going to the national anthem, I was very late, and, yeah, I was focused on the race.”
