Formula 1 Singapore GP
“Franco braked 100m early” – Nico Hulkenberg blames Colapinto for Singapore GP spin
Hulkenberg was left unimpressed with Colapinto’s driving after he spun in the Singapore GP
Ben Vinel
Published: Oct 7, 2025, 12:30 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images
Nico Hulkenberg has blamed his Singapore Grand Prix spin on Franco Colapinto, claiming the Alpine Formula 1 driver braked much earlier than usual.
Hulkenberg was attacking Colapinto for 14th position on lap 43 of the race when he clipped the rear of the Alpine in Turn 8, breaking his Sauber’s front wing endplate. But the Argentinian was not to blame as he was on the inside and was ahead at the apex, meaning he was not required to leave space according to racing guidelines.
Read Also:
On the next lap however, approaching Turn 7, Hulkenberg was surprised by his opponent’s braking point and spun. He made his way back to the pits and finished the race down in 20th and last, having been overtaken by Colapinto’s team-mate Pierre Gasly on the final lap.
“Pretty big one actually, lucky not to hit anything,” the German veteran commented.
“Franco braked 100 metres early, which I'm not sure why. Probably wanted to surprise me somehow – [he] succeeded with that,” Hulkenberg added with a bitter laugh. “But the problem is, when you get close, the rear downforce just drops away completely. The rear axle locked up instantly, and there's nothing you can do then.”
Colapinto wasn’t overly concerned about the incident, referring the media to Hulkenberg: “I don't know, I just saw him in the mirror spinning. I can't tell you, he should tell you for [himself].”
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Colapinto was classified 16th, marking the fourth time the youngster beat team-mate Gasly in a race that both Alpine cars finished, but the Anglo-French team is now on a five-round point-less streak.
“Very long day, very tough, no pace in the car. I think it's just a frustrating afternoon. We did our best, with a strange strategy to try and make it work – and do something different to the others – but it didn't work,” Colapinto said, referring to his soft/medium strategy, which he was the only driver executing – two others ran a medium/soft tactic, while Gasly’s two-stop failed to pay off.
“Just a lot of degradation in the car, the tyres falling apart, and nothing really clicking together. It's tough out there, it's not what we want. We just need to keep pushing, but it's definitely very difficult at the moment.”
Read Also:
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Why McLaren failed to repeat its 2024 Singapore GP dominance this year
Next article Toto Wolff’s cryptic update on George Russell F1 contract: "Good things take a while”
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ben Vinel
Valtteri Bottas denies he might lose his Cadillac seat for F1 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
3 h
Valtteri Bottas denies he might lose his Cadillac seat for F1 2027
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
5 h
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
More from
Nico Hulkenberg
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
“They build the best engines” – Audi F1 drivers reveal biggest limitation and how to address it
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
“They build the best engines” – Audi F1 drivers reveal biggest limitation and how to address it
More from
Sauber
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Formula 1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Lewis Hamilton 'almost signed for Sauber' before F1 debut, says Peter Sauber
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya Pre-Season Testing
Lewis Hamilton 'almost signed for Sauber' before F1 debut, says Peter Sauber
F1 2025 season highlights: Fans crown Nico Hulkenberg's podium and Lando Norris's title as top moments
Formula 1
Formula 1
F1 2025 season highlights: Fans crown Nico Hulkenberg's podium and Lando Norris's title as top moments
Latest news
Brad Keselowski to address questions about NASCAR future and RFK exit at Martinsville
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Martinsville II
25 min
Brad Keselowski to address questions about NASCAR future and RFK exit at Martinsville
Hamlin says Chevy teams 'suck at the teat' of Hendrick on superspeedways
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
3 h
Hamlin says Chevy teams 'suck at the teat' of Hendrick on superspeedways
Valtteri Bottas denies he might lose his Cadillac seat for F1 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
3 h
Valtteri Bottas denies he might lose his Cadillac seat for F1 2027
AJ Foyt Racing signs Josh Pierson to multi-year deal beginning with 2027 IndyCar season
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 4 h
AJ Foyt Racing signs Josh Pierson to multi-year deal beginning with 2027 IndyCar season
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe