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

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

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Entertainers

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Zak Brown, McLaren

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

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Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

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Alexander Albon, Williams

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The 2026 F1 drivers photo

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Sam Brabham drives a Brabham BT-19 on track

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Sam Brabham drives a Brabham BT-19 on track

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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

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Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

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Alexander Albon, Williams

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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Lando Norris, McLaren

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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