Franco Colapinto

Credits- IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Veteran F1 photojournalist Kym Illman has a series on his Instagram account called “Women of the Paddock.” As the name suggests, he posts pictures of women he spots around the paddock every race weekend. Illman continued this tradition after the Italian GP, including Williams newcomer Franco Colapinto in his carousel.

Colapinto, who replaced Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season, commented on the post about picture number five. It included his manager Maria Catarineu and himself, ahead of the latter’s debut race in Monza. The Argentine wrote, “Never thought I could be part of the women of the paddock.”

This playful comment under Illman’s post became an instant hit, with over 4K fans liking it. Illman, however, has not responded to the comment yet — or perhaps hasn’t seen it. It could be a topic of conversation between the two if Colapinto comes across him in the upcoming race weekend in Baku.

Colapinto’s debut F1 appearance was captured by Illman somewhat unexpectedly. However, the rest of the paddock and the F1 community quickly recognized his talent behind the wheel of the FW46.

Colapinto’s first impression

Colapinto’s weekend started quietly, with a mistake in qualifying limiting him to Q1. He began the race from P18 but drove a solid performance, using the car’s full potential to gain six positions — the most of any driver in the Italian GP.

Team Principal James Vowles, who insisted he had signed Colapinto for his talent, and not because of the money he brought via his sponsors, stated, “He executed the race perfectly, making progress and overtaking cars. And I think had qualifying really gone to plan, he would have been today potentially in with a chance for points. And that, for your first outing in a car, is fantastic.”

Alex Albon was also impressed with his new teammate. He revealed that, despite his years of experience, he struggled to save his tires. In contrast, Colapinto managed it effectively in his very first race.