A near-miss at the start of the Australian Grand Prix has reignited concerns about safety in Formula 1. At McLaren, Andrea Stella believes the FIA must act before a serious accident occurs.
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The launch of the 2026 Formula 1 season provided a spectacle at the Albert Park circuit, but it also highlighted a potential risk linked to the new power units introduced this year. Right from the start of the race, an incident almost caused a spectacular collision in the pack.
Liam Lawson encountered major difficulties launching from the grid with his car equipped with the new engine. His very slow start created a significant speed differential with the cars behind him.
Franco Colapinto then found himself at full acceleration facing a practically stationary Racing Bulls. The driver had to perform an evasive maneuver at the last second to avoid a potentially violent impact on the straight leading to the first corner.
For Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal, this episode perfectly illustrates the fears expressed by several teams even before the start of the season.
“The concern remains. The start was clearly a near-miss,” he explains.
Speed gaps deemed worrying
According to Stella, the main problem stems from the significant speed differences that the new power units can generate at the start.
Some cars can have much slower launches than others, creating dangerous situations when the entire pack accelerates simultaneously.
“There was a huge speed differential on the grid, the McLaren boss points out. We can hope that everything will go well… or decide to act to reduce these speed gaps.”
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However, he acknowledges that the issue is complex and requires in-depth technical analysis: “It is a very technical subject. I don’t think this is the time to say exactly what solution to adopt. My call is simply to say that we need to do more.”
First laps also under surveillance
Beyond the start, another point raised in Melbourne concerns the speed gaps observed on the straights, particularly during the first laps of the race.
With the new energy management strategies, some drivers lift off at the end of the straight to recover energy that can be used later in another sector of the circuit.
This practice can create unpredictable situations when cars close to each other adopt different strategies.
“The main concern is especially about the first lap,” explains Stella.
Norris fears a major accident
At McLaren, Lando Norris has also warned about the potential dangers of these speed gaps.
When several cars are racing wheel-to-wheel with different energy modes, some may continue to accelerate while others lift off to recharge their hybrid system.
“Lando explained that it is very tricky when cars close to you use different energy strategies, Stella details. This creates speed differences that become unpredictable.”
“Lando was saying that we shouldn’t be satisfied just because nothing happened. When it comes to safety, we must always remain proactive.”
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