– At the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, there was a collision in the midfield between Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto. After a strategically complicated race, their direct duel ended with contact – for which Ocon subsequently clearly took responsibility.
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The two drivers had already been fighting each other for large parts of the race. But of all times, the duel escalated after the pit stops: Ocon attempted an attack in the tight first corner combination of the Shanghai International Circuit, but hit the rear of the Alpine in the process.
“I was fighting with Franco the whole time, so the fault for this last incident clearly lies with me,” the Haas driver admitted openly afterwards.
Safety car disrupts both strategies
The foundation for the later duel was laid early in the race. Both drivers had started on the hard tires and were surprised by the safety car timing. After Lance Stroll rolled out in the Aston Martin, the safety car was deployed – however, at a time when a pit stop for Ocon and Colapinto made little strategic sense.
Both therefore decided to stay out and implement their planned one-stop strategy later. However, this led to them being positioned strongly against each other as the race progressed.
Ocon finally pitted first, while Colapinto stopped a few laps later. As a result, the Alpine driver returned to the track with fresher tires – directly in front of the Haas.
Attack in the snail curve
The decisive scene took place immediately after Colapinto’s pit stop. On his outlap, he encountered Ocon again – and the Frenchman apparently wanted to reclaim the position immediately. In the narrow “snail” passage of the first corner combination, Ocon launched an attack. But the attempt was too optimistic.
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“I was a bit over-optimistic and the gap wasn’t actually there,” he confessed. “There was only one point left to get, so I risked everything. But it shouldn’t have ended like that.” Ocon hit the Alpine on the right rear wheel, which created a hole in the floor of Colapinto’s car – damage that massively affected the aerodynamics.
Colapinto loses performance
The Argentine later explained how much the contact affected his car. “He hit me on the right rear,” says Colapinto. “I had a big hole in the underbody afterwards, which was obviously not good for performance or balance.”
Despite the damage, the Alpine driver still brought his car to the finish – but lost valuable time in the fight for more points. “We lost some downforce as a result and in the end didn’t have enough pace or laps to catch Carlos Sainz,” Colapinto explained.
Apology after the race
However, the situation between the two drivers was quickly resolved. Ocon sought a conversation with his competitor immediately after the race. “Yes, I apologized to him,” the Frenchman confirmed. “I told him I was glad he still got a point because he drove a good race today.”
Colapinto also showed a conciliatory attitude after the conversation. “He came back and apologized,” says the Alpine driver. “We had a good and close race with each other – in the end it unfortunately didn’t turn out well, but everything is fine.”
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