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Colapinto was once so alone: 'You want a hug, but there's no one there'
- Ludo van Denderen
Newly-signed Alpine driver Franco Colapinto, the current reserve driver for the French team, hopes to make his comeback in Formula 1 at some point next season. As we saw when the 21-year-old came into Formula 1, all of Argentina wildly supports their native, who made a name for himself at Williams last season. But as big as the support is currently, Colapinto has spoken about the loneliness he once struggled with years ago.
Europe is the place where young drivers are trained for Formula 1, so if you are a talent from Australia or South America who wants to make it to the premier class of motorsport, you have to leave home and settle in Europe at a young age. Colapinto had that F1 dream and left for the Netherlands, among other places, where he drove for Dutch teams Van Amersfoort Racing and MP Motorsport for a long time.
Colapinto experienced difficult periods in his youth
Far away from South America and home, Colapinto experienced how tough the life of a driver can be: "I had many [struggles]," the Argentine said recently to, among others, GPblog. "I really struggled to go away from my country to Europe when I was very young. You're very far from your family, and you struggle.
"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," continued the Argentine.
For racing talents that come from South America, Colapinto says it is more difficult to reach Formula 1: "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."
But now, Colapinto does not feel alone these days. "I have a lot of support. Everyone around me has been very supportive. And they have involved me in every little bit, which it's very nice to see."
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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