Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto concluded a disappointing Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing 15th in Barcelona. The 22-year-old was hopeful of an improvement to his fortunes in his Formula 1 return, at a track he’s familiar with, but the man from Pilar was stuck at the back of the grid for most of the race.

Colapinto went into the race on the back of a gut-wrenching qualifying, where he had looked set for a first foray into Q2 as an Alpine F1 driver. After missing 20 minutes of Friday’s Free Practice 1 with a hydraulic failure, another technical problem kept him from attempting to improve his time on Saturday. 

With cars lined up to go out for one final attempt at Q1, the Argentine driver was stranded on the pit lane exit and had to abandon. He had shown good pace and had reached 9th place in the standings before most drivers went on to improve their times. After examining the car, Alpine confirmed a driveline issue.

Launching from 18th after Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll confirmed he wouldn’t be taking part in the race and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda starting from the pitlane, Sunday proved to be a difficult affair for Colapinto. Without many chances to improve on his position, the Argentine driver suffered from an unorthodox pit-stop strategy from the Alpine team that left him very much stranded at the back of the grid. He finished 15th, having passed Haas’ Esteban Ocon in the final lap.

“I don’t understand what happened very well,” said Colapinto after the race. “Of course, it wasn’t what we wanted. It was a tricky race, with a lot of tire degradation.”

The Argentine added he found himself trailing behind other cars for a long part of the race, which creates what is known in F1 circles as “dirty air.” This happens when a car in front disturbs the aerodynamic setup for the car in behind.

“We have to work out what happened, what was the big issue this weekend,” said a visibly annoyed Colapinto. “At times, we were as quick as Pierre and other times we dropped off. We have to figure it out and come back stronger in Canada.”

F1 takes a week-long hiatus after the European triple header, with the series returning on June 13 for the Canadian GP. The event will be held at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, one where Colapinto has never raced before.

Free Practice one starts on Friday June 13, at 2:30 p.m., with Qualifying setting out Saturday at 5 p.m. The race is set to start on Sunday at 3 p.m. All times are Argentine time.