Argentine racer Franco Colapinto secured his best-ever finish in a Formula 1 Grand Prix at Miami: after crossing the line 8th, he was later promoted to 7th. 

The development capped a thrilling weekend for Colapinto at Miami. The 22-year-old started out by hosting Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi at the Alpine F1 box, then matched his best-ever qualifying in the sprint race on Saturday. 

He later managed to reach the final qualification stage (known as Q3) for the first time with Alpine colors and ran a great race on Sunday. Wrapping proceedings at 8th, the Argentine driver benefited from a time penalty after the race for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to climb that extra position to 7th.

“It has been a good week overall; from Buenos Aires a week ago to meeting one of my sporting heroes in Lionel Messi and now points in the Miami Grand Prix, I am definitely pleased,” Colapinto said after the race.

He went on to thank “the whole team for their effort,” saying he knows “the hard work will continue to Montréal next time out, where [Alpine] will aim to continue this form and score more........

© Buenos Aires Herald