Franco Colapinto is enjoying the support of his Argentine fans, who are growing in numbers by the day. What is surprising is the fanbase he is building in Brazil, the neighboring country often perceived as rivals owing to their legendary tussle in soccer. That South American brotherhood, however, might turn out to be short-lived if the media turns on him.
That is what former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello has warned Colapinto about. The Brazilian is well aware of the media’s temperament in his country and believes they can easily turn on Colapinto. All it would take for that to happen, as per Barrichello, is the tiniest bit of a mistake from the Argentine.
“With the media in Brazil, it’s a bit like, ‘Oh yeah, let’s support him,’ but the first time you do something wrong, they tear you down,” he said on Beyond The Grid podcast. How does the Argentine deal with this nervous energy then? “So you have to be at peace with yourself,” suggests Barrichello.
EMOCIONA por completo la hinchada Argentina alenatando a Colapinto en Brasil.
Locales en todos lados. pic.twitter.com/k1qvcsWjuu
— Ataque Futbolero (@AtaqueFutbolero) November 1, 2024
The ex-teammate of Michael Schumacher may have these tips for Colapinto but he admits he himself never managed to deal with the pressure during his time in F1. However, that pressure may not be that bad, after all. Barrichello remembers a piece of advice from his father that could come in handy for the young Williams driver.
“My father always said, ‘When you go to sea, you have to have respect. Don’t go if you can’t touch the ground anymore, because it can take you away’. So you have to be a little afraid of something to be able to respect it,” he recalled.
Colapinto may already have run out of luck with Brazilians
The 2024 Sao Paulo GP was a forgettable race, to put it lightly, for Colapinto. He suffered a heavy shunt into the barriers during the first session of qualifying. That gave Williams mechanics the herculean task of putting his car back in shape for the race, along with Alex Albon’s, who had a crash of his own.
While they managed to pull that off with the Argentine’s car, Albon wasn’t as lucky. That effort went in vain as well, as Colapinto once again landed in the barriers on the 32nd lap of the race. What made it even more embarrassing was the fact that it happened behind a safety car.
Hearing that due to Williams simply not having parts available for their cars following the Brazil GP, they might not be racing in the Las Vegas GP. Damages incurred in Brazil cost $2.46m, and between Albon, Sargeant, and Colapinto, damages hover around $10m USD total for 2024.
— VF1 (@TheVFCastro) November 14, 2024
Will these two incidents affect Colapinto’s fandom in Brazil, as Barrichello warns? Only time will tell.
