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George Russell and Charles Leclerc react to scary unseen moment at Australian GP

Home> F1

Updated 08:59 8 Mar 2026 GMTPublished 08:56 8 Mar 2026 GMT

George Russell and Charles Leclerc react to scary unseen moment at Australian GP

There was a chaotic start to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Marcus Chan

Marcus Chan

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George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli were left stunned after watching a previously unseen moment from the Australian Grand Prix.

Russell, 28, got his 2026 Formula 1 campaign off to a perfect start after winning the Australian Grand Prix.

The Brit finished more than 2.9 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate Antonelli, with Ferrari star Leclerc in third place.

At the start of the Grand Prix, Russell dropped down to P2 after Leclerc managed to launch his Ferrari from P4 all the way to P1.

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The pair then battled for the lead, with the Mercedes driver eventually coming out on top.

After the race, a previously untelevised moment caught Russell, Leclerc and Antonelli's attention in the cool-down room.

The trio were watching highlights from the race on the screen when a scary moment involving Alpine driver Franco Colapinto was shown.

As the Argentine launched off the line, he was suddenly met by a slow-moving VCARB of Liam Lawson's.

Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson were involved in a near-miss at the start of the Australian Grand Prix. Image: F1 TV
Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson were involved in a near-miss at the start of the Australian Grand Prix. Image: F1 TV

Colapinto had to show exceptional reaction and reflex to avoid Lawson while also making sure he didn't put his Alpine into the wall.

Watching the moment in the cool-down room, Russell, who was taking a drink of water, nearly jumped out of his seat.

Meanwhile, Leclerc and Antonelli were also taken aback by the close call.


Franco Colapinto speaks out on near-miss with Liam Lawson

Speaking about the incident after the race, Colapinto said: "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.

"I was really, really lucky, and we know things can happen with these new cars, but the video shows it was very dangerous and quite sketchy."

He continued: "I am glad I got through that, but I hit the wall a little bit with my rear right, but generally, we struggled for pace this weekend, and we're were hoping for much, much better after Bahrain [testing]. It was just a tough afternoon."

Featured Image Credit: F1 TV

Topics: Formula 1, George Russell, Charles Leclerc

Marcus Chan
Marcus Chan

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