The end of Q2 at the Australian Grand Prix almost turned into an accident. Arvid Lindblad came within a few centimeters of a collision with his teammate Liam Lawson after a problem with Gabriel Bortoleto’s car.
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The qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix offered several spectacular moments on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne. One of the tensest episodes occurred at the very end of the second part of qualifying.
As the drivers were finishing their lap and returning to the pits, an unexpected situation occurred involving Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian driver for the Audi team suddenly slowed down during his return lap to the pits.
His car began to move at a very low speed as it approached the pit lane entry, visibly suffering from a technical issue.
Lawson stuck behind Bortoleto
Just behind him was Liam Lawson, a Racing Bulls driver. Trapped behind Bortoleto’s very slow car, the New Zealander had no choice but to slow down significantly as well.
The two cars then found themselves moving at a snail’s pace in the pit entry lane, creating a particularly delicate situation for the drivers arriving behind at full speed.
This is precisely what happened to their teammate Arvid Lindblad.
Lindblad narrowly avoids collision
Arriving quickly at the pit lane entry, the British rookie did not seem to have been informed of the situation by his team. He therefore found himself facing two cars that were almost stationary right in front of him.
Forced to react urgently, Lindblad had to brake hard to avoid hitting the back of Lawson’s car. The collision was narrowly avoided, by just a few centimeters.
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Very shaken by the incident, the young driver immediately reported the situation over his team radio.
“My God! The car is fine, but I almost had a huge crash,” he explained. “I don’t know what’s going on at the pit entry. Check the car. I think it’s fine, but check anyway. Maybe the front wing.”
The episode illustrates how dangerous the transition moments between the track and the pit lane can become when cars slow down abruptly.
Bortoleto forced to withdraw from Q3
For his part, Gabriel Bortoleto finally managed to reach the pit lane, but his car came to a halt shortly after. The Audi team quickly confirmed that a technical problem had occurred during his return lap at the end of Q2.
This issue prevented the Brazilian driver from returning to the track for the third phase of qualifying. Despite his initial performance which had allowed him to qualify for Q3, Bortoleto was therefore unable to participate in the fight for pole position.
This unexpected incident added an extra dose of tension to an already particularly lively qualifying session for the opening of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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