Franco Colapinto has found himself needing to apologize to Uruguay. The Argentine made a series of jokes about the South American country during a podcast, which were not well received by all. Colapinto, who is reportedly set to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine, now regrets his comments.
The rumor mill in Formula 1 is once again in full swing, with Franco Colapinto at the center of it all. The Argentine made a strong impression last year as a replacement for Logan Sargeant at Williams, and is now reportedly on the verge of replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine. Colapinto was even spotted in Monza during a test for the French racing team. For Alpine, a driver swap between Doohan and Colapinto would also bring a whole host of South American fans.
Apology to Uruguay
Whether there will be fans from Uruguay among them, however, is the question. Colapinto recently made some less than positive comments about the country on the Nude Project podcast. “There are very few Uruguayans,” said the Alpine reserve driver. “About 3 million? In other words, Uruguay is like an Argentine province.”
“Uruguay did not invent mate, dulce de leche, or empanada, they did not invent choto, they copied everything,” Colapinto continued about various aspects of Argentina’s neighboring country. “Uruguay does not invent things, they take what we invent and if someone has invented something in Uruguay, they bring it to Argentina and it becomes Argentinean.”
The Argentinean subsequently received both support and criticism for his comments. While some social media users explained that Colapinto’s statements are a typical example of banter between Uruguay and Argentina, the driver still had to apologize. “I want to apologize for the stupid things I said about Uruguay, it was clearly a joke,” the Argentinean wrote on X. “I did not mean to offend anyone. I love Uruguay and the love they have given me over the past year.”
