Hard crash for Franco Colapinto at the Sodden Grand Prix in Brazil

The Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo saw a serious accident for rookie driver Franco Colapinto as the Interlagos circuit proved treacherous in wet conditions.

Colapinto's incident occurred on the infamous ride up the hill to the finish line. The Argentine driver, driving for Williams, lost control of his car and crashed hard into the wall, causing significant debris to be scattered across the track. Fortunately, Colapinto was uninjured, although his Grove machine did not fare well and sustained significant damage.

Track conditions played a crucial role in the events of this rainy weekend in Sao Paulo. The bad weather led to qualifying being postponed until Sunday morning, against a backdrop of heavy rain that added to the usual challenges of Interlagos – a circuit already known for its demanding routing. These conditions led to several incidents and caused marshals to wave yellow and red flags intermittently throughout the session, a pattern that continued into the race.

Colapinto's teammate Alex Albon was unable to start the race after his own crash in qualifying. It was a particularly tough weekend for the British team.

The drama in Interlagos also put championship leader Max Verstappen in the spotlight. Verstappen's qualifying was difficult; After he was eliminated in the second qualifying and faced a grid penalty of five places, his racing prospects were uncertain. But the red flag following Colapinto's crash inadvertently gave Verstappen and drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, none of whom have yet pitted, a strategic advantage.

Karun Chandhok, giving insight to Sky Sports F1, described the aftermath:

“Look at the debris all over the track. The damage to the radiator, the cooling… it’s no surprise to see a red flag.”

David Croft, also from Sky Sports F1, explained:

“This will be a big win for Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, who did not pit in this race. They can all get new tires under this red flag. Nobody wants a red flag when a driver fails, but.” That couldn’t have gone better for Verstappen.