(Motorsport-Total.com) – Haas driver Esteban Ocon described Pierre Gasly’s rollover at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix as “very frightening.” Ocon said: “I was right behind and saw him roll over and land in the barriers. I’m really glad he’s okay.”
Such an accident shows, according to Ocon, that the danger in Formula 1 is still present: “Rollovers are the last big accidents you can still see – when the cars roll over after wheel-to-wheel contact. It’s a bit like in karting,” Ocon said.
Exactly that happened in Miami: Liam Lawson wanted to defend against Gasly at the end of the back straight and moved left to the inside line. Gasly attacked on the right. But in the braking zone, Lawson went into neutral due to a technical failure. He missed the apex but hit Gasly’s left rear wheel with his right front wheel, causing Gasly to lift off and roll over.
Why Liam Lawson was not penalized
The race stewards did not issue a penalty against Lawson because there was a gearbox failure on the Racing Bulls car – according to the reasoning in the verdict. Lawson could not have avoided the collision with Gasly.
The last 20 rollovers in Formula 1
Gasly remained uninjured in the spectacular incident but said the rollover “did not feel pleasant.” He also said: “Something like this should not happen.”
Rollovers still occur in Formula 1
In fact, rollovers have become rare in modern Formula 1: before Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda last rolled over in 2025 at Imola, before that it was Guanyu Zhou in 2022 at Silverstone. Also famous from recent times is Nico Hülkenberg’s rollover in 2018 in Abu Dhabi. Hülkenberg radioed: “I’m hanging in here like a cow!”
Also, in one of the most serious Formula 1 accidents of recent decades, a rollover played a central role: Robert Kubica crashed heavily in Montreal in 2007, his BMW Sauber was almost completely destroyed. Remarkably, Kubica escaped with minor injuries at the time. (Photo series: The last 20 rollovers in Formula 1)