Colnaghi happy to be fighting at the front but gutted to miss out on podium in Budapest

Mattia Colnaghi was disappointed to have missed out on the podium after finishing fourth in the Budapest Feature Race.

The MP Motorsport driver started in P3 and was running in second early on but lost out to Ugo Ugochukwu and Brando Badoer in the space of two corners on Lap 10.

Colnaghi did his best to fight back but was forced to settle for P4, and speaking afterwards in the paddock, the Argentinian driver said: “To be honest, I’m not the happiest with the result today.

“I think the podium was definitely on the table, and just a couple of mistakes, especially from my side, didn't allow us to take it. So, to be honest, a bit disappointed in that, but again, a good learning experience.”

This was Colnaghi’s fourth consecutive P4 result. It's a solid run of form that has seen him score 38 points across the Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest rounds, having only scored one point until the recent back-to-back.

“No, it definitely feels good to be back fighting at the front,” he said. “I think we've had a tough season so far, and to be honest, I never would have said we would be turning it around so much after Silverstone.

“So I'm quite happy with that, quite happy with the work of the team. Obviously, I think they did a good job, especially this weekend. We had a competitive car all weekend, and a bit of a shame not to take it to the top step, or even the podium.”

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Looking at the weekend in even more detail, Colnaghi spoke about the differences between both the Sprint and the Feature Race in Budapest.

While the MP driver achieved the same result in both races, he explained how they were very different conditions.

“Obviously with the amount of stoppages there was, with the cooler conditions, we were still trying to manage the tyres,” he explained. “But it's also the idea that you want to go forward as well and have fun as well.

“I think it was a difficult one. Yesterday in the Sprint Race, we had only one Safety Car, so managing the tyres was a key part of the race. Whereas today, I have the feeling that some drivers got away with pushing a bit more at the start and gaining positions or gaining time at the start.

“Obviously, with so many Virtual Safety Cars and Safety Cars, you don't really feel the effect as much. So definitely there was something more to use on the table today.”

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Colnaghi and the rest of the paddock will take a break before hitting the track in Madrid for a two-day test on August 24-25.

Previewing the upcoming weeks, the Red Bull Junior Team member said: “I’m looking forward to the test at Madrid, at the end of August, and obviously, then the race weekend.

“A bit of a break now to relax a bit as well. We've had a few tough couple of weeks, but they have also been good weeks.”