Franco Colapinto’s Australian GP turns viral with…

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 (Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images)

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. "