Imola F1 Qualifying Crash: Franco Colapinto Brings Out Second Red Flag

Franco Colapinto has crashed out of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Qualifying session. The Alpine driver confirmed that he was okay over the team radio and was able to exit the car unassisted.

The Argentine crashed into the barriers at the exit of Tamburello (Turn 4), which is the same corner that Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson crashed at during FP3. He touched the grass at the exit of Turn 3 which caused him to lose control.

With the front of the car taking the brunt of the impact, it is likely that there will be no damage to the gearbox.

Colapinto is the second driver to crash during Q1 at Imola after Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda was sent to the medical center for precautionary checks following a horrific crash which saw his RB21 flip.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Yuki Tsunoda were eliminated in Q1.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is Colapinto's first F1 race with Alpine after he was brought in to replace Australian driver Jack Doohan "for at least the next five races," as per the official release from Alpine. He signed with the French team, initially as a reserve driver, after impressing in his F1 debut with Williams last year when he replaced Logan Sargeant in the latter stages of the season.

Commenting on his promotion, Colapinto said at the time of the announcement:

"Firstly, I want to thank the team for giving me the opportunity to drive competitively for the next five races. I will work hard with the team to prepare for the next race in Imola and the upcoming triple-header, which will no doubt be intense and a big challenge for everyone.

"I have stayed sharp, and I am as ready as possible with the team's race support testing programme, as well as on the simulator at Enstone. I will do my best to get up to speed quickly and give it my all to deliver the best possible results alongside Pierre."

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Q1 Classification

Max Verstappen, Red Bull 1:15.175
Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.325
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +0.520
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +0.642
George Russell, Mercedes +0.677
Lando Norris, McLaren +0.719
Pierre Gasly, Alpine +0.762
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes +0.768
Carlos Sainz, Williams +0.812
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.933
Alex Albon, Williams +0.948
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +0.988
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls +1.078
Franco Colapinto, Alpine +1.081
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber +1.165
ELIMINATED:
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls +1.204
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber +1.343
Esteban Ocon, Haas +1.438
Oliver Bearman, Haas +1.743
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull (NO TIME)