Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Franco Colapinto revealed a dangerous moment he experienced at the start of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne, when he narrowly avoided colliding with Liam Lawson. The incident involving the Racing Bulls driver was not shown in television replays of the race start.
Colapinto explained that Lawson’s car had a slow launch from the grid, leaving the Alpine driver with very little time to react. With other cars blocking his view, the Argentine had to quickly swerve to the right at the last moment to avoid hitting the stationary car ahead.
The situation unfolded under Formula 1’s revised start procedure introduced for the 2026 season. The new system includes a five-second period allowing drivers to build turbo energy following the removal of the MGU-H from the power unit, a change designed to help drivers prepare for the race start more effectively.
However, when the start sequence began, the lights went out almost instantly after being illuminated, catching several drivers by surprise. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc previously described the quick lights-out call as “cheeky” during the same race weekend.
“I almost had a massive crash with Liam as he got stuck on the grid, and I was really lucky to get through lap one,” Colapinto said.
“I was really, really lucky, and we know things can happen with these new cars, but the video shows it was very dangerous and quite sketchy.”
“I’m glad I got through that, although I hit the wall slightly with my rear right tyre.”
Colapinto eventually finished the race in 14th place after receiving a stop/go penalty when a team member touched the car after the 15-second signal had been given on the grid. Lawson finished just ahead in 13th position.
Reflecting on the weekend, Colapinto admitted the team had expected a stronger performance following promising pre-season testing in Bahrain. However, the Argentine acknowledged that Alpine struggled for pace throughout the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
“Generally we struggled for pace this weekend, and we were hoping for much better after Bahrain,” Colapinto added.
“It was just a tough afternoon.”
The incident at the start highlighted the unpredictable nature of the opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season, which featured multiple strategic and technical challenges ahead of the next round of the championship.
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