The opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season nearly turned into a major accident before the field had even reached the first corner.
After a dramatic near miss at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Franco Colapinto warned that the sport may need NASCAR-style spotters to help drivers avoid crashes during race starts.
Colapinto, driving for Alpine, had to swerve sharply to avoid the slow-starting Racing Bulls car of Liam Lawson when the lights went out. The moment happened in the opening seconds of the race. Cameras did not show it live, but the footage later revealed how close the two cars came to a high-speed collision.
The Argentine driver said the incident showed how dangerous the new 2026 regulations could be at the start of races. The problem, he explained, came from cars launching at very different speeds.
“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 told reporters. “The video shows it was very dangerous and quite sketchy.”
What happened in Melbourne
The trouble began when Lawson struggled to get his car moving at the start. The Racing Bulls driver dropped from eighth place to 18th within seconds.
Colapinto approached quickly from behind but could not clearly see Lawson’s car. Other cars blocked his view. At the last moment, he moved right and squeezed between Lawson’s stranded car and the pit wall.
The move saved both drivers from what could have been a severe crash.
The moment shocked several drivers watching the replay. George Russell immediately leaned back in surprise in the cool-down room. Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc also reacted with visible concern after seeing how little space Colapinto had to escape.
The dangerous start came as Formula 1 began racing under new power unit rules. The sport removed the MGU-H component from the hybrid engines. That change made it harder for drivers to build turbo power during a launch, which led to uneven starts across the grid.
Lawson: “I had already braced in the car”
Lawson later praised Colapinto’s reaction. The New Zealander said he believed a crash was about to happen.
“He had very good reactions, and I was very lucky,” Lawson said via Motorsport. “I honestly at that point had braced already in the car because I was looking in my mirror and I saw his car on my left when he was close to me.”
Lawson expected the impact within seconds.
“I was sure he was going to hit me, and then all of a sudden he came by me on the right,” he said.
The Racing Bulls driver warned that the issue may not be a one-time problem. He said the same situation could happen again if start performance continues to vary so much.
“If it keeps going on like this, what happened on the weekend is so easy to happen,” Lawson said. “At the moment, it is quite dangerous. We will give our opinions, but it’s up to the FIA.”
Franco Colapinto calls for NASCAR-style spotters
After the race, Colapinto suggested a solution rarely discussed in Formula 1. He said the sport might need spotters like those used in NASCAR.
Spotters stand high above the track and guide drivers through traffic. They warn drivers about cars beside them or ahead of them, especially in crowded moments.
Colapinto said the information drivers receive during race starts is limited. Teams already send some data to the steering wheel display and radio, but the opening seconds happen too fast.
“We might need a spotter soon,” Colapinto said in comments shared on social media by Motorsport. “It might not be a bad option for the start, at least. It’s just a matter of safety.”
He warned that repeated close calls could eventually lead to a serious crash.
“If it happens every weekend, at some point it’s going to catch someone,” he said. “We might end up in a bad situation for everyone.”
Colapinto also pointed out that large speed gaps appear at other times during race weekends. He recalled a close moment with Lewis Hamilton during Friday practice.
“I had, also, FP2, I think it was, a close call with Lewis,” Colapinto said. “On the main straight I was going really slowly, and these speed differences are happening all the time.”
Why the new rules are causing problems
The root of the problem lies in Formula 1’s new engine design.
Cars now arrive on the grid with different amounts of battery energy. That difference can change how quickly each car launches when the race begins.
Officials have already tried to reduce the risk in Melbourne. The FIA extended the start procedure by five seconds so drivers would have more time to prepare. Despite the change, several cars still struggled when the lights went out.
The issue did not surprise teams. Pre-season testing in Bahrain already showed that launches could vary widely.
That concern led the FIA to adjust the start sequence before the Australian Grand Prix. The rule change added the extra five-second delay that drivers used in Melbourne.
Teams and the FIA continue to discuss other options. Some engineers want the sport to remove the formation lap energy recharge limit, but that idea appears unlikely for now.
A warning after the first race
The Melbourne scare served as a clear warning early in the season.
Drivers, engineers, and officials now face pressure to make sure the new rules do not create more dangerous race starts. Teams expect to learn quickly from the first race and adjust their launch settings.
Colapinto’s suggestion of spotters shows how serious the concern has become.
For now, the near crash ended with nothing more than a sharp swerve and a breath of relief. But the images from Melbourne made one thing clear across the paddock: the margin between control and disaster at the start of a Formula 1 race has become very small.
