La vuelta que no fue (SPA-ENG)

The return that was not

One of the many songs that footballers and the public usually sing in stadiums cheering on their favorite team, is also adapted for the national team and so we could hear it in the celebrations for the third world championship won by Argentina in Qatar in 2022, almost two years ago: "that, hand in hand, with Leo Messi, we are all going to go around."

This chorus refers to the Olympic lap, that celebration that surely was born during the development of some Olympic game, and that the athlete or team that wins a gold medal goes around the stadium on the track used for athletics competitions while the public applauds and admires their triumph.

And although we have our feet on the ground and we know the limitations that the Williams team's Formula 1 cars currently have, we secretly held out hope for a good race from Franco Colapinto in the place that consecrated us in world football a few hundred meters from the circuit, in the 974 Lusail stadium.

But fate, or whatever you want to call it, gives and takes away. Two years ago it gave us one of the greatest sporting satisfactions that anyone could wish for. Yesterday it took away our hope of seeing Colapinto have a good race when he was knocked out a few meters from the start by a collision he received from two other vehicles that, in their eagerness to gain a position, collided with each other. In reaction to that collision, one of the cars involved went into Franco Colapinto's Williams 43 and took him off the track, forcing him to abandon a Qatar Grand Prix that had just begun.

Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon were involved in that collision that caused the accident that left the Argentinean and Ocon out of the race. The German, for his part, had to go into the pits to change a tire destroyed in that collision, although afterward, the damage received caused him also to retire.

The Qatar Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen, the world champion crowned in the previous race, dominate again and it seems that Red Bull has re-emerged after a difficult half of the calendar.

There was everything in this race, 5 retirements, penalties everywhere, and among them a very tough one for the main candidate to stay in the championship: Lando Norris who received a 10-second penalty with stop and go included for not slowing down on a yellow flag, then followed Lance Stroll and Liam Lauson also with 10 seconds for causing collisions with Albon and Bottas respectively, 10 seconds to Alex Albon, Colapinto's teammate for leaving Bottas off the track and finally 5 seconds and a pit stop for Lewis Hamilton.

The one who was not penalized, although he should have been, was the race director who did not bring out the safety car to clean the track when a rear-view mirror came off Albon's car, Bottas ran over it and its remains caused Sainz and Hamilton to puncture their tires, at which point the safety car came out to clean the track, late.

The good thing about all this mess is that the constructors' championship was left to be decided in the next and last race of the year which will be next week in Abu Dhabi, on the luxurious Yas Marina circuit, the race will be held at a traditional time that allows a transition between dusk and night.

The good news for Franco Colapinto, who still does not have a confirmed seat for next year, is that it is one of the few circuits he knows since last year he was able to do a training session on the Williams, before the dispute of that race.

Let's hope that the last one brings him some good news.