Franco Colapinto’s Australian GP turns viral with incredible save and strange on-screen error

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9 March 2026 at 16:31

Franco Colapinto's Australian Grand Prix may not have resulted in points, but the Alpine driver ended his Melbourne campaign in the spotlight. The Argentine generated two of the most viral moments of the weekend: a funny broadcast glitch and a heart-stopping near-miss at the race start.

Start procedure was a focus over the weekend due to the changes in power units this season. With the cars' turbos now relying entirely on exhaust gases to spool, drivers are being forced to rev higher at the start in order to not bog down or enter anti-stall when the lights go out.

While the start of the race at Albert Park was an exciting one, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson became a victim of this spool issue and bogged down at the race start. This huge speed differential between him and his competitors became very clear when Colapinto was met with his gearbox.

Displaying what pundits have described as 'cat-like reflexes', he jerked his Alpine to the right, threading his car between Lawson's and the barrier. The moment quickly gained traction online, with his incredible driving coming under intense praise from fans.

Talk about a near miss 😰

Unbelievable reactions from Franco 💪#F1 #AusGP @AlpineF1Team pic.twitter.com/zf1MqgqS0x
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 8, 2026

"How on earth he avoided the rear wheel and the wall is beyond me," Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson said at the time. "It's amazing. I could watch that 1000 times over."

The focus on Colapinto didn't end there. After a starting grid penalty was announced by commentators, a graphic flashed up on screens across the globe with an error that labeled the penalty as a "Colapinto-and-go penalty."

Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Social media immediately erupted as fans picked up on the mistake.

Franco Colapinto got a stop-and-go penalty in Australia...

Or as the graphic said... pic.twitter.com/qXZHjEdf8N
— Motorsport (@Motorsport) March 8, 2026

The Alpine driver crossed the line in 14th after a gruelling recovery drive and a miraculous save. While it was a tough one for the racer, he proved that these guys on the grid are superhuman, reminding us of Isack Hadjar's terrifying moment in the Monaco tunnel where he narrowly avoided a slowed car in the 2024 Formula 2 season.

"In the start we almost have a massive shunt with Liam as he got stuck on the grid and I was really lucky, to be honest, to go through that lap one," Colapinto told Motorsport.com and other media. "I was really, really lucky.

"I think this can happen with these new cars, but it was just very dangerous and quite sketchy. I'm glad I went through that. I hit the wall a little bit with my rear right but generally was just that. "

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“It was just very dangerous” – Franco Colapinto’s scary near-miss with Liam Lawson at start of F1 Australian GP

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8 March 2026 at 17:30

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto expressed unabashed relief after narrowly avoiding a colossal accident with Liam Lawson’s crawling Racing Bulls at the start of Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix.

The race start was a point of concern amid F1’s switch to new power unit rules, with the removal of MGU-H making it harder for drivers to spool up the turbo.

Several competitors endured slow getaways, with Lawson coming off worst. The Kiwi plummeted from eighth to 18th as he limped away from his grid position.

Asked what happened, Lawson said: “Honestly I have no idea, I launched and didn't move and lost all power, and then I couldn't get it back for another five seconds.

“Then a couple of seconds later I got it back and then got wheelspin. I don't know what happened, I haven't had that in testing.”

The Racing Bulls was very narrowly avoided by Colapinto, who had built up substantial speed from 16th on the grid and jerked into an extremely narrow gap between the Alpine and the wall. The Argentine was chilled by that experience.

“In the start we almost had a massive shunt with Liam as he got stuck on the grid, and I was really lucky, to be honest, to go through that lap one,” he recounted. “I was really, really lucky. [These are] things that can happen with these new cars, but it was just very dangerous and quite sketchy, so I'm glad I went through that. I hit the wall a little bit with the rear right but generally was just that.”

Franco Colapinto ahead of Liam Lawson in the background

Lawson eventually raced to 13th position, taking the chequered flag 45 seconds later than rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad, who finished eighth on debut.

“Pretty frustrating,” the Racing Bulls driver commented. “We obviously had a very good day yesterday, had both cars in a great position, and I think the pace through the race was OK, just sort of fighting issues throughout the race, trying to manage energy.

“So it's something I'll review, but definitely not a clean day; even after the start through the race we were fighting issues, so it's a shame.”

Meanwhile, Colapinto finished 14th, 64 seconds down on team spearhead Pierre Gasly. The Alpine driver was given a stop-and-go penalty due to a mechanic touching his car after the 15-second signal was shown prior to the formation lap.

“It was a long race,” he lamented. “We were struggling for pace this weekend. We were hoping much better after Bahrain. Then we got a stop-and-go, lost another 30-something seconds. It was just a tough afternoon.”

Additional reporting by Ronald Vording and Stuart Codling

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Franco Colapinto praised for "cat-like reactions" after avoiding Liam Lawson crash in Australia

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8 March 2026 at 12:19

Former Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson and 2009 champion Jenson Button have reacted to Franco Colapinto's "scary" near miss with Liam Lawson at the start of the Australian Grand Prix.

Colapinto, who started from 16th on the grid, quickly gained on Lawson at the start of the race as the New Zealander struggled to launch. Lawson had barely moved from the P8 grid box, forcing the Alpine driver to quickly dash to the right of the New Zealander while avoiding crashing into the wall. Lawson later confirmed that he "lost all power" at the start.

While speaking to the media after the race, Colapinto said: "At the start we almost had a massive shunt with Liam as he got stuck on the grid and I was really lucky to go through that lap one. I was really, really lucky."

Davidson reviewed Colapinto's onboard footage as part of the post-race analysis on Sky Sports F1.

"Wow. It's like he's got cat-like reactions here," he said. "I mean if I now play it in slow motion, watch what he does on the wheel. How on earth he avoided the rear wheel and the wall is beyond me. It's amazing. I could watch that a thousand times over. I'll never get over that.

"How there wasn't a crash there. I mean, we all expected some poor getaways, but wow he was completely blinded by what happened there with poor old Liam Lawson."

Colapinto with some incredible reactions to avoid a catastrophic crash into the back of Lawson at the start of the race 😳#AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/MqGfmnLzsy
— Autosport (@autosport) March 8, 2026

He added, while watching the close call from Lawson's point of view: "Oh dear, so he was actually moving. Eyes everywhere. He's looking in the left and right mirrors, but... Martin Brundle called it at the start of the race that that's the most fearful time for a driver, knowing that your car may not get off the line and you could be just at a standstill and a roadblock for other cars thundering up behind you."

Davidson's co-host Button added: "Yeah the amazing thing is you don't see it until he's on top of the car. How does he slow it down so much? I mean, from a driver's point of view, I don't know how that just happened.

"That was proper scary, hopefully that's the last time we see that."

Photos from Australian GP - Sunday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Entertainers

Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Mario Renzi / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Mario Renzi / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Zak Brown, McLaren

Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Jayce Illman / Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Kym Illman / Getty Images

Alexander Albon, Williams

Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images

The 2026 F1 drivers photo

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Anni Graf - Formula 1 via Getty Images

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Anni Graf - Formula 1 via Getty Images

Sam Brabham drives a Brabham BT-19 on track

Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing, Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing, Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Sam Brabham drives a Brabham BT-19 on track

Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Anni Graf - Formula 1 via Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Dom Gibbons / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, George Russell, Mercedes, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Peter Fox / Getty Images

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Peter Fox / Getty Images

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Mario Renzi / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

Paul Crock / AFP via Getty Images

George Russell, Mercedes

Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

Lars Baron / Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Dom Gibbons / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Alexander Albon, Williams

Peter Fox / Getty Images

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams

Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren

Paul Crock / AFP via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images