Colapinto not mentally strong enough for F1 - Piquet

Jun.13 (GMM)  The jury is still out on whether Franco Colapinto can make it in Formula 1.

That's the view of former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr, whose own time in the sport ended controversially in the infamous crashgate scandal.

At the centre of that saga was Flavio Briatore, who is now piling pressure on 21-year-old rookie Colapinto as the young Argentine struggles to get up to speed with Alpine.

"They were tough," Colapinto said in Canada, reflecting on his first three races after replacing Jack Doohan. "They were not, of course, maybe as I was expecting. But I've had a good break and hopefully it brings some performance."

Piquet, 39, says Colapinto is quick but doubts whether he has the mental strength to thrive under the spotlight.

"The really good drivers, like Hamilton, Alonso, Verstappen, don't just stand out because of their raw talent," Piquet said on the Pelas Piastas podcast. "The biggest difference is their minds."

He added, "When I look at the 2024 season, I don't think Daniel Ricciardo lost any of his driving ability, but he did lose his mind. And I see Colapinto in exactly the same situation now.

"Something seems off mentally. We're talking about a fast driver here, no doubt. But mentally, he doesn't seem to be up to scratch. And in this sport, confidence and the right mindset are everything."

Meanwhile, another promising rookie, Kimi Antonelli, has also experienced a difficult stretch. The 18-year-old Mercedes junior admitted he has struggled with consistency and pressure.

"Performance wise I didn't do that well," Antonelli said in Montreal. "Then we also had a couple of technical issues. Overall, there's a big learning curve, especially around managing busier weekends. I definitely didn't always get it right. It's been quite tough - not the way I wanted.

"George (Russell) is having a very strong season, but he can't do everything alone. I have to be able to help the team get back to second place."

Mercedes technical director James Allison backed Antonelli to bounce back.

"Kimi will overcome the disappointments of the last few races with his youthful optimism," Allison said. "The two retirements were a bitter pill to swallow. But if you look at the situation from Kimi's own perspective, he also knows there's more work to do."]]>