Franco Colapinto explains the moment with Martin Brundle on the F1 US GP grid during his ‘Grid Walk’ show aired on the Sky Sports feed.
The moment was caught mostly by Sky Sports viewers when Brundle was doing his famous ‘Grid Walk’ show ahead of the F1 US GP race on Sunday. He caught Williams’ Colapinto going past him towards the front of the grid for the national anthem ceremony, but the Argentine didn’t oblige to speak.
That kick-started a stir on social media where fans thought Colapinto disrespected Brundle and some felt that stardom got into his head after his good showing in the few F1 races he has done so far. But the Argentine has played down the snub when asked in Mexico, while explaining his stance and thought process behind it.
He usually does chat nicely with the media during the official sessions, but just before the race, Colapinto wants no moment with the media. “There isn’t much of a story,” he said to media. “I spoke with Williams, I don’t have much experience on this topic of first having to go to the grid and then waiting there for 30 minutes, jumping out of the car, walking and moving around and everyone wants to do interviews.
“I have been quite focused for the races and Connor [Bean, Williams press officer], he has been really helping me not do interviews on the grid, not on the grid, but in the paddock and all those things and being focused on what I have to do – which is driving first. Martin, of course, he’s been extremely massive – a mega, mega, mega driver and has left a big legacy 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. I was focused on driving, and I was just… I didn’t want to speak too much. I love speaking now and when I jump out of the car but, when I am going to the race, I try to be a bit more into my driving and not doing interviews,” summed up Colapinto.
Brundle, meanwhile, took a funny approach to the snub when speaking about the moment during the US GP on-air in commentary. “Must go and introduce myself to Franco,” he said. “He looked at me like I was trying to mug him or something. I think he thought I was trying to steal his umbrella, to be honest. I’ll go and say hello to him.”
One of the complaints from the fans in this matter was also about the Argentine fans potentially causing social media trouble. They referred to the case relating to Agustin Canapino in IndyCar, where an incident with Callum Ilott and then Theo Pourchaire, resulted in death threats from Canapino’s fans.
Colapinto, meanwhile, had praise for the Latin American fans, who have risen in numbers since his arrival in F1. His answer was not related to the above notion of the fans, but more in general about the fanfare he has faced ever since making it to the top. “I am feeling [the passion] of the fans, and that is why I was so excited for these races – and Formula 1 is now seeing how much they’ve missed those Latino and Argentine fans,” he said.
“They are extremely insane and in only a couple of races, they have gone crazy and the support that they have, honestly, I haven’t seen it in any other driver so far. It is something very special and unique what I am experiencing. It is great to see so many Latinos, you can see in other sports, there were fights between Brazilians, the Mexicans and the Argentinians, but in Formula 1, in motorsport, it looks like everyone is together, everyone is supporting me.
“There is no fighting between the Brazilians, Mexicans and Argentines, they are all together, there is a common goal and everyone is backing me, it is nice to see. It is a step forward as a society, I am really happy to see how it ends and I am just enjoying the moment, enjoying with the fans.”
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