Franco Colapinto says that his MP Motorsport teammate, Dennis Hauger, has been “a big part” of his improving pace as the Formula 2 season has progressed.

By George Sanderson

Joining us on the Feeder Series Podcast from his manager’s house in Mallorca, Franco Colapinto spoke about how having Dennis Hauger as his MP Motorsport teammate in 2024 has helped push him forward. The Argentine spoke to us about how adapting to life in Formula 2 was initially a challenge, and how Hauger has helped him through this.

“I think, you know, to have [Dennis] Hauger in the team has been, to me, quite helpful to improve,” he said. “Those things I was not used to I think with my driving style I was… driving just quite different to what the car needed in F2.”

Early results reflected this struggle, as Colapinto left the opening two rounds at Sakhir and Jeddah with a single point-scoring result in the Bahrain feature race. This left him on eight points, whilst his more experienced teammate had 31 to his name.

Hauger is entering his third season in F2 and will be hoping to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish in the standings after staying with MP Motorsport for a second campaign. The Norwegian currently sits in fourth place following the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. 

Colapinto, meanwhile, is in his debut F2 season, having finished fourth in Formula 3 last year with two victories. He reflected on the season’s opening rounds and how he quickly identified where he was going wrong with his driving.

“Luckily, I could see that [he wasn’t driving the car optimally] quite quickly in the season and fix it quite fast which was, I think, very important. I have done, you know, some little mistakes as well in the year,” he admits, acknowledging that these were an important part of his learning experience as he adapted to a new series.

“I think it was those two or three first races where I could afford to do some little mistakes, and then quite quickly I think I realised and started to work quite hard on the things I had to and focusing well on the things I had to focus [on] with the team.”

Hauger’s influence

The improvements made by Colapinto became glaringly obvious in the fourth round of the F2 season at Imola. He scored his first double points-scoring results of the season, including a dramatic first F2 victory in the sprint race. The rookie overtook current championship leader, Paul Aron, around the outside on the final lap at Variante Tamburello, having hunted him down since lap nine.

Colapinto is clearly very thankful to his team for their support but also recognises that he has to thank his teammate in particular.

“Dennis, of course, was a big part of it. He took out his data, it was very good and it is working well. He was faster the first two rounds and now the last two I have been in front in qualifying. So, it is good news for me to be already a lot closer to him.”

Since Jeddah, Colapinto has narrowed what was once a 23-point margin to Hauger to one that currently stands at 18 points. However, like any driver in any series of motorsport, he is still pushing for more.

“Of course, it would be better [to be] in front [of Hauger] always but to see me just there and being close to him… it is a little boost that just tells you [that] you are doing the things correctly and that you are going through the right direction.”

Being beaten by a teammate is a feeling that Colapinto openly admits he is not used to, experiencing it this season alongside Hauger.

“I think it’s the real first year that I have someone that is beating me right now but also is very fast and I can actually really learn from him or use his data to my advantage.”

“I was not very used to having someone next to me that was always up there and I think it was a bit tricky the first few races until I got used to that and I started to use it to my advantage as well.”

Colapinto believes that having this competitiveness against his teammate in F2 is very useful and to “nail the last few tenths, you need that”. It is a relationship that is working well for him and Hauger so far, and a dynamic that the Argentine hopes to continue throughout the remainder of the season.

Looking ahead

Colapinto joined the Feeder Series Podcast following the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, and is clearly excited for what is to come, both this season and further ahead. The improvements he has already seen in his driving this season have left a hunger in his stomach, and he says it is something he now needs to act on.

“I think it’s the best news so far [his improvements in pace this season], even though we still need to get more podiums and a lot more wins. The car is capable of doing that so let’s see how we continue the year.”

Moving forward, Colapinto has one clear end goal in mind but refuses to let it distract him from his F2 endeavours this season.

“My goal has been Formula 1 for a long time,” he says. “That’s still the main focus and that’s, right now, the main thing that I’m thinking about apart, of course, of doing a super good year in Formula 2.”

“That’s, of course, the first goal for this season. Formula 1, it’s going to be for much later and I’m not really thinking about that but that’s of course where I want to be in some years.”

You can hear the rest of our chat with Franco Colapinto as he joined Jim Kimberley to answer YOUR questions on the most recent episode of the Feeder Series Podcast, available on all your favourite podcast providers.

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency