Franco Colapinto triggers a multi-car collision during the safety car restart at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, locking up into Turn 1 at the Baku City Circuit.

The Alpine rookie collects teammate Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris, eliminating all three after 35 laps and prompting another safety car almost immediately after green-flag conditions return.

Baku’s Turn 1 is a heavy-braking pinch point, especially on cool tyres and brakes. The restart magnifies those risks, with compressed fields and limited margin for error.

Norris had already fallen down the order after an earlier Turn 1 mistake, leaving him vulnerable in the restart traffic and directly in the firing line when Colapinto locked up.

For Alpine, the cost is immediate and significant. Both cars exit from promising positions, surrendering points in a tight midfield battle with Racing Bulls.

Further back, the Racing Bulls pair also collide amid the chaos, intensifying a reshuffle that frustrates Liam Lawson on his return to the Faenza outfit after a Red Bull stint.

Restarts demand strict control under the regulations. Drivers must manage tyre temperatures and braking stability while avoiding erratic moves, a balance Colapinto fails to achieve at Turn 1.

Repeated safety car interventions compress strategies and erase undercut potential. Alpine’s route to points disappears, along with the momentum it sought in the midfield chase.

The incident continues Baku’s reputation for punishing small errors, echoing Esteban Ocon’s recent crash in Baku and underlining the track’s low-grip braking challenges.

It also follows another high-profile moment earlier in the weekend involving Kimi Antonelli, reinforcing how restart execution and braking precision define outcomes here.

Alpine must regroup quickly. Colapinto and Gasly face pressure to deliver clean weekends and recover ground as the calendar moves beyond the demanding Baku City Circuit.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.