Williams driver Franco Colapinto has been making waves since his mid-season debut in Formula 1, and an awkward run-in with Martin Brundle during the US Grand Prix grid walk made waves, too — but perhaps for the wrong reasons.
Thankfully, the Sky Sports presenter touched base with Colapinto ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix, where the two were able to address their differences.
Martin Brundle apologises after Colapinto grid walk snub
During his pre-US Grand Prix grid walk, Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle approached Williams driver Franco Colapinto for a quick chat ahead of the race — only for the Argentine to walk right by.
Brundle approached Colapinto saying, “Hello, my name’s Martin Brundle, Sky. We haven’t met. Quick chat?”
Colapinto, though, barely seemed to register Brundle’s presence and instead walked right on by, leaving Brundle to recover by pulling celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay over for a chat.
After arriving in the commentary booth, Brundle touched on the snub, saying, “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.”
Ahead of this weekend’s race in Mexico City, Brundle and Colapinto had a chance to reconnect.
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In a chat with Colapinto, Brundle immediately took accountability for the incident, saying, “What happened in Austin, it was my fault. I should have come to you before and introduced myself.”
“It’s a pleasure to be talking to you,” Colapinto said.
“I’m very sorry for what happened. Before the race starts, I’m never used to speaking.
“Actually, before the race starts in F2, we are still sitting in the car and then suddenly here in F1, you go 30 minutes, we jump out of the car, everyone wants to interview you, and I am in a bubble still.
“It’s only my fourth race, and it’s tricky. But I am sorry for that.”
The incident ended on civil terms, with Brundle telling Colapinto, “When you put your race head on, just put your hand up, and I won’t bother you. No one’s obliged to talk to me.
The two men then went on to discuss Colapinto’s first four races as a Formula 1 driver, where he has scored a total of five points by finishing in the top 10 twice. Brundle noted, “It’s going incredibly well.”
“It’s going well, I think we are still building up, and I think I still haven’t peaked, you know,” the Argentine racer said.
“There is still a lot to learn, and I’m still doing good stuff race after race. I think that’s great to see.
“I have an amazing team behind [me] that are working and supporting me so, so much. They have been so supportive since I jumped in a Formula 1 car, to try and make my path and my way much, much easier. Because we knew it was really tough, and they have been very, very helpful.
“So, just happy to be here and enjoying the opportunity.”
Colapinto replaced the outgoing Logan Sargeant at Williams ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and he has greatly impressed since then.
As Brundle mentioned, Colapinto has scored points in two of the four Grands Prix he’s contested, but he has also outperformed his more experienced teammate Alex Albon twice as well.
At the moment, Colapinto’s 2025 plans are undecided, but he has quickly earned a place on the radars of many F1 teams.
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