Franco Colapinto Questions FIA Over Safety Car Decision

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has questioned the decision-making of FIA race direction in Formula 1 after being plagued with misfortune at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Argentine had one of his best races in the championship at the Shanghai International Circuit, showing stellar early pace on the alternate strategy, starting on the hard tires and hoping to run long into the race.

But Colapinto's race began to unravel when a safety car was deployed as marshals set about retrieving Lance Stroll's stranded Aston Martin from the outside of Turns 1 and 2 on lap nine.

Our second-best start to a season as @AlpineF1Team ⬆️

Time to keep going. pic.twitter.com/sGT5mIhuEf
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) March 17, 2026

Safety car inconsistency

Yet with Bernd Maylander not called upon in Australia a week prior, despite two cars stopped on track and a broken bargeboard lying just off the racing line resulting in three virtual safety car periods, Colapinto was left disgruntled by the inconsistency.

"It's frustrating because I did a very good race," said Colapinto, as per Autosport.

"I did a very good start on the hard tire, I was in a really good position, first car on the hard tire and our strategy went long and then yeah, I don't know... in Melbourne there was a VSC for everything, a car on fire and VSC and here for the first car that stops on track they put a safety car.

"I don't really understand their logic around that, but it killed my race, really unlucky. I did my best to stay in front of the guys on the new hards to try and help Pierre because my race was already kind of tricky to score."

Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Chinese GP 2026 — Alpine F1 Team

Colapinto's race only got tougher when he was hit by Haas driver Esteban Ocon when coming out of the pitlane, both cars rotating at Turns 1 and 2, the Frenchman given a 10-second penalty by the race stewards, having owned up to his error over team radio.

Addressing the incident, Colapinto explained: "Then we stopped three laps after Esteban, I came out in front, I did really good laps on the old hard and he hit me on the rear right, I had a big hole on the floor which was not great for performance and not great for the balance.

"He came back and said sorry, and it's all good. We had a nice fight with each other during the race, really close and at the end it didn't finish well but he apologized. It's all fine."