Franco Colapinto explains run-in with Oscar Piastri at F1 Austrian Grand Prix

Franco Colapinto has explained how he inadvertently forced Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri off the track during Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Colapinto was battling with Yuki Tsunoda when he ran wide at Turn 3 on lap 55, allowing the Red Bull driver to sweep past him on the inside.

The Alpine driver immediately tried to retaliate but unbeknownst to him, McLaren driver Piastri was coming up to lap both of them.

As Colapinto jinked to the right to get into the slipstream of Tsunoda, Piastri was left with nowhere to go and ended up on the grASS - with the Australian having to get on the brakes to avoid any further drama.

The stewards held the Argentine driver responsible for forcing Piastri off the track and handed him a five-second penalty, which left him 15th in the final reckoning.

Speaking afterwards, Colapinto explained that he didn’t see Piastri in the mirror, as he was eager to regain lost ground after being turned around and picking up damage in a collision with Tsunoda earlier in the race.

“I just didn't see him,” he told media including Crash.net. “He was in my blind spot and I was focused on Tsunoda. I really wanted to get past.”

It was a difficult race for Alpine in Austria, with both Pierre Gasly and Colapinto finishing outside the top 10 on a day Sauber enjoyed a double points finish.

Colapinto’s previous incident with Tsunoda - for which the Red Bull driver was penalised - also cost him a heap of time.

Summing up the race, the 22-year-old said: “I think we struggled with the car. It didn't really work for us well today as a team.

“In the race, I was getting quicker with the laps. We struggled. With [Tsunoda] crashing into me, I lost a lot of time.

“Not an easy middle stint, I lost quite a lot of lap time compared to Pierre and then in the last stint was good.

“Just with the damage of Tsunoda, front wing and floor, it was a bit more difficult, but I think we just struggled as a team today. Tyre deg was quite high for us. we need to understand 

Colapinto was brought in by Alpine as a replacement for Jack Doohan for an initial five-race period, although team boss Flavio Briatore has since clarified that he will stay at the team for the foreseeable future.

Asked if there were any concerns he could be dropped from Alpine, having now completed five races with the team, Colapinto said: “I'm not really concerned. I think he has been very supportive and he trusts [me]."