‘What a move’: Rookie’s epic ‘dive bomb’ angers teammate, delights F1 world

A rookie’s scintillating move at the Singapore Grand Prix has simultaneously delighted F1 fans and angered his fellow drivers.

F1 rookie Franco Colapinto has made a name for himself after pulling off an epic overtake at the Singapore Grand Prix that delighted fans but angered other drivers, including his teammate.

The 21-year-old from Argentina has seriously impressed in his three races since replacing America’s Logan Sargeant at Williams for the remainder of the season. Colapinto has finished 12th at Monza, eighth in Azerbaijan and now 12th in Singapore.

Every qualifying session and race from the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >

While Lando Norris cruised to victory in a fairly uneventful Singapore Grand Prix to keep his championship hopes alive, the highlight of the race was Colapinto’s blistering start.

He started 12th on the grid but passed three cars on the run down to Turn 1, overtaking Alex Albon, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda in a single move.

Colapinto could have been as high as seventh, had Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc not recovered after going wide off the track.

As space opened up down the inside, Colapinto lunged down Turn 1, hit the brakes late and controlled the car at the apex of the corner.

Watch Franco Colapinto’s epic overtake in the video player above

On-board and aerial footage of the start showed Colapinto flying down to Turn 1 and getting his car back under control after briefly oversteering.

Franco Colapinto absolutely blitzed the start. Photo: F1.

Viewers were impressed with one of the better overtakes seen in F1 in recent times.

F1 broadcaster Will Buxton wrote on X: “Wow. Absolutely stands on the brakes and hits the apex with the smallest hint of a lockup on the front left. Gets crossed up in 2 but keeps his foot in. Without that he’s 7th at best, 8th at worst. Absolutely magic.”

ESPN’s Nate Saunders said: “So impressed with Colapinto so far - what a move this is at the start.”

One fan said: “Franco Colapinto, you are nuts.”

But not everyone was impressed. Albon, Colapinto’s teammate, exclaimed on team radio: “Franco just dive-bombed! What’s he doing?”.

Making matters worse for Albon, he was forced to retire from the race due to a suspected power unit cooling issue.

Franco Colapinto is the real deal. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

But there’s no room on the grid for him next year. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Speaking post-race, Sainz also argued Colapinto’s move was unsafe and could have taken out some cars.

“It was damage limitation for us today, especially after a very tricky start where we had to take avoiding action to a Williams that nearly took two or three out of the race and we had to just avoid the damage,” Sainz said.

For his part, Colapinto said he “did the best start I could”.

“There was a pretty nice gap and I went for it and it worked out,” he told the official F1 channel.

“Here it’s very important, the start. To leave turn three in front of some cars is always nice and you are in a much better position for later in the race.”

As Colapinto defended against Sergio Perez midway through the race, the Red Bull driver praised the rookie over team radio: “He’s very good. Difficult to pass, Colapinto.”

Franco Colapinto defends from Sergio Perez in Singapore. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Despite his impressive start to F1, it appears unlikely Colapinto will land a full-time drive on the 2025 grid.

There’s set to be significant turnover over the grid next year, with Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Australia’s Jack Doohan (Alpine), Ollie Bearman (Haas) and Liam Lawson (VCARB) joining F1.

There’s no room for Colapinto at Williams, with Sainz joining the team on a multi-year deal from 2025, although it’s expected he will be eyeing an imminent return to a top team after being replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton.

The one remaining seat is at Sauber/Audi, but it’s expected Valtteri Bottas will extend his stint with the team alongside Nico Hulkenberg, who has enjoyed a resurgent season with Haas.

Williams team principal James Vowles said of Colapinto: “I think he’s already demonstrated in just a few races that he belongs on the grid.

“We’re very open-minded. We’re waiting, in that circumstance, for Audi or Sauber to come to us and say, what do you want, what are you interested in?

“And from there, we can then discuss what it actually means as an implication. But the first stage is more an open discussion.”

Daniel Ricciardo appeared to bid farewell to F1 in an emotional race in Singapore, although it is yet to be confirmed that Lawson will be replace him for the last six races of the year.

The F1 season continues at the United States Grand Prix on October 21.

Originally published as ‘What a move’: Rookie’s epic ‘dive bomb’ angers teammate, delights F1 world