Drivers shocked by race start near-miss at the Australian Grand Prix

The Argentine driver, who lined up 16th on the grid, made a strong getaway and quickly began carving his way through the field before running into Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls.

The New Zealander had placed his car just ahead of his teammate in eighth position, but remained stationary at the start, forcing the Argentine into a remarkable piece of reaction time.

Fortunately, Colapinto managed to jink to the right, avoiding what could have been a dangerous impact at already significant speeds despite it being the race start.

Both drivers eventually made it to the chequered flag, though neither managed to score points, unlike their teammates who finished eighth and tenth respectively.

The reigning world champion described the racing as increasingly artificial and warned that the current situation could eventually lead to a serious accident. In his view, the on-track action has become chaotic, with drivers often feeling as though they are simply waiting for something to go wrong.

He pointed out that much of the unpredictability now depends on how the power unit behaves at any given moment, which can create sudden and unavoidable swings in performance. According to him, drivers can sometimes lose several positions in an instant or find themselves in dangerous situations, not because of driving mistakes but due to how the system deploys its energy.