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Franco Colapinto almost suffered a horrendous accident at the start of the Australian Grand Prix as he narrowly avoided a collision with Liam Lawson.
The Alpine driver lined up P16 on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix in what was the team’s first race with Mercedes engines. Colapinto got a good launch off the line with the new start procedure, but the same could not be said for Lawson.
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The Racing Bulls driver, who qualified eighth, did not get off to a good start and dramatically fell down the order. Lawson was lucky to stay in the race at all as he narrowly avoided being rear-ended.
Colapinto was completely unsighted as Lawson’s car suddenly appeared directly in front of him. The Argentine managed to swerve out of the way and threaded a narrow gap between the VCARB 02 and the wall in a frightening scene.
George Russell lauds Franco Colapinto for ‘save of the season’ after near-miss with Liam Lawson
The incident was not the first time the Alpine driver was almost involved in a nasty crash. Colapinto almost collided with Lewis Hamilton as he encountered gearbox issues on the main straight during practice.
Colapinto’s near-miss was not shown on the main broadcast until the race had finished. George Russell, Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc saw the incident in the cooldown room before the podium, with Russell being left stunned by the ordeal.
The start procedure with the new cars was a contentious issue coming into the Australian GP, with many worried that such an accident would occur as drivers struggle to spin the turbo quickly enough. Colapinto’s quick-thinking avoided what would have been a horrible crash.
Writing on his Instagram story after the race, Russell praised the Argentine for his heroics, saying: “Save of the season @francocolapinto. My reaction very chilled,” followed by cry-laughing emojis.
Colapinto responded to Russell with cry-laughing emojis, before saying: “Was close!!! Well done on the win mate.” Russell claimed the win in Melbourne from pole position, marking the first win of the new era in F1.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Franco Colapinto from F1 stats to height
Franco Colapinto is running out of time to prove his worth in F1
Colapinto went on to finish 14th in Australia, while teammate Pierre Gasly scored a point in P10. Alpine will be wanting the Argentine to get into the points more regularly in 2026 after a dismal 2025 campaign.
The Enstone outfit finished last in the standings last year, with Gasly scoring all of their points. Colapinto struggled to perform after replacing Jack Doohan from Imola onwards, thus putting him under pressure to keep his seat beyond 2026.
Who should Alpine replace Franco Colapinto with if he fails to live up to expectations this season?
Alpine’s deal with Mercedes could give him a boost, given that they are said to have the best engine on the grid. However, Alpine think Colapinto is not on Gasly’s level, highlighting the internal pressure around him.
Guenther Steiner thinks Colapinto will be gone in the summer if he cannot improve his results. Alpine are not shy of potential replacements, having recently signed Alex Dunne.
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