A Formula 1 paddock is one of the most surreal settings in all of sports.
Let us paint a picture, using the United States Grand Prix in Austin as an example. Located just steps from pit lane, the F1 paddock contains hospitality spaces for each of the ten teams, the FIA, and Pirelli (the sport’s exclusive tire supplier), as well as space for media sessions, and more.
Which means at a given moment you can walk through a Formula 1 paddock and literally bump into some of the most famous figures in motorsport, as they arrive at the circuit and make their way to their team’s respective hospitality space. Those areas serve as not just meeting areas for the drivers, team principals, and team members but also serve as mini restaurants, as each team enjoys meals throughout their days at the track.
Then you factor in the fans. In Austin fans can pay top dollar for paddock access, giving themselves the chance to rub elbows with F1 royalty.
Continuing with the theme of the United States Grand Prix, one figure stood out more than most that week.
Franco Colapinto.
Colapinto is the newest rock star in a sport filled with them. Promoted mid-season to drive for Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant, Colapinto has taken the F1 world by storm. During his week in Austin everywhere you turned, from the paddock to the grandstands, the Argentine flag was visible, as Colapinto’s legions of fans followed his every move.
Not only is the young driver carrying his own hopes and dreams, but also those of an entire nation.
But the 21-year-old driver has spoken at length about what it means to represent Argentina, and to offer hope for future drivers from his home country.
“I was really waiting for this,” said Colapinto to the media, including SB Nation, in Austin. “And it is very special.
“Of course, I have all my life raced in Europe and maybe a week in Australia, something like that. But I never raced in America, and that’s closer to home. And so I’ve been really waiting for these three rounds.
“It is very special, of course.
“So my dream would be to race in Argentina and to race in Buenos Aires. But that’s not happening. And this the closest three races that we have. And I know many fans are gonna be here, and I know many fans are gonna be in Mexico, and more in Brazil.”
Colapinto also talked about how his sudden stardom is playing out back home in Argentina, noting how his success has captivated the minds of fans back home, young and old.
“I don’t see any Formula One driver that has as much support as I from their fans, and you know it shows that it’s also very important, and it does push you forward a little bit,” described Colapinto. “And to get all these messages of support, to get all the fans coming to the races to support you, it is very nice and it does, you know, make you push a little bit harder for you to what you want.
“It’s something very special and I am very happy to be the next Argentinian in Formula One and to have all these kids that they are overwhelmed,” continued Colapinto. “They’re very happy to see a Formula One driver for the first time from their country and to all these kids that are getting into motorsport because they are like, ‘[w]ow, I love Formula One now,’ and they are getting into a sport.
“And, you know, motorsport in Argentina is going a lot different due to this. So it’s really good what is happening there in the country.”
The young driver outlined how he feels that the the F1 schedule’s swing through the Americas gives him a number of home races.
“So it’s it’s gonna feel almost like home, I think at least Brazil, and I am very excited about it,” continued Colapinto. “I have a lot of support from the fans from Argentina to race close to where my home is, and it’s something I’ve been waiting for and something I’ve been dreaming of.
“And it’s happening now. Very exciting times.”
Speaking in Brazil ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix, Colapinto talked at length about how his success could pave the way for future drivers from Argentina.
“Yeah, it will be great. I think it shows that things are getting better,” said Colapinto during the FIA Press Conference at the São Paulo Grand Prix. “Lewis [Hamilton] many times already spoke about the difficulties that came from his side. I had many. I really struggled to go away from my country to Europe when I was very young. You’re very far from your family, you struggle. It’s like, when you’re European you finish the race and you go back in a plane for an hour and you go back home and you’re with your family in the evening and it’s just normal, whilst for me it was completely the opposite.
“At 14, living alone, going back from a tough weekend needing a bit of a hug, and you don’t have that. You are completely alone, which makes it a bit more difficult. Of course, the budget part is the most difficult one, and that’s why we struggle so much. I think there is a lot of talent in South America, and we show it when one has got a chance,” continued Colapinto. “That is the most important part.
“I think nowadays it’s getting much better. Lewis already spoke about how for him it was very important to be very welcoming and to give a little bit of that back of what he felt that he didn’t receive at his time. And I have felt that nowadays, it’s getting much better. I have a lot of support. Everyone around me has been very supportive,” added Colapinto. “And they have involved me in every little bit, which it’s very nice to see. And I think very exciting to see how we are progressing as a society.
“And yeah, also the drivers, everyone has been so welcoming. It’s been very nice. The respect from Lewis that he has been showing these last few races. And since I arrived, it has been something very special for me and very important, I think, for the sport. So look, I think it’s going to be great if someone else comes in the future, some South American. And if I can stay to have two, it will be amazing. Let’s hope for it,” added the young driver.
Everywhere you look in an F1 paddock these days, you see that blue-and-white flag follow Colapinto’s every move. The young driver is carrying the hopes and dreams of a nation, as well as the hopes and dreams of future generations of drivers.
Making F1 all the better every step of the way.
