Near-Disaster At Lights Out: Colapinto Barely Avoids Horror Crash With Lawson | WATCH

Last Updated:March 08, 2026, 17:56 IST

Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided a crash with Liam Lawson, right after the race start at the Australian GP in Melbourne.

The season-opening 2026 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne delivered exactly what fans expected from Formula 1’s first race under the sport’s sweeping new regulations: action, overtakes, and plenty of drama.

But, it also featured several heart-stopping moments — none bigger than Franco Colapinto’s near miss at the start.

The Alpine driver produced lightning-fast reactions to avoid a potentially massive crash with VCARB’s Liam Lawson as the lights went out.

Starting 16th on the grid, the 22-year-old Argentine almost slammed into Lawson’s Racing Bulls car when the New Zealander failed to launch properly.

Colapinto swerved away at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the rear of Lawson’s car and even brushing the pit wall in the process.

Remarkably, he avoided serious damage and managed to continue — eventually finishing 14th at Albert Park, right behind Lawson.

Reflecting on the scare, Colapinto admitted he had been fortunate.

“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 am glad I got through that, but I hit the wall a little bit with my rear right.. It was just a tough afternoon."

New Regulations Throwing The Grid For A Loop

The chaos actually began even before the race started.

Home favourite Oscar Piastri crashed heavily on his sighting lap, while Nico Hulkenberg suffered a catastrophic failure that prevented him from starting the race at all.

Mechanical issues continued once the race was underway, as a handful of other drivers, including Isack Hadjar, were forced to retire at various stages of the race.

News sports formula-one Near-Disaster At Lights Out: Colapinto Barely Avoids Horror Crash With Lawson | WATCH

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