Lando Norris drops two-word reaction to friend Carlos Sainz's early race crash in the F1 Australian GP

McLaren driver Lando Norris sympathized with his former teammate and Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz after the latter crashed out of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. The two friends had contrasting season openers in Melbourne: the Brit won the race in tricky conditions, while the Spaniard only managed a couple of laps.

The 30-year-old was making his debut for the Williams F1 team and qualified an impressive P10 for the main race. He had a steady gateway but slipped back behind Fernando Alonso.

After the safety car was called on for the second time in the first few laps of the race following Jack Doohan's crash, Carlos Sainz, too, lost control of his FW47 and crashed into the barriers on the final turn. The four-time F1 race winner was caught out by the slide and was unable to stop the momentum.

Lando Norris empathized with his friend's crash after the footage was played in the cool-down room after the race. The 24-year-old gave a two-word reaction and said:

"Oh Carlos!"

On the other hand, Lando Norris had complete control of the race and claimed the fifth victory of his career at the iconic Albert Park Circuit.

Lando Norris analyzes his first race win of the 2025 season

McLaren driver Lando Norris stated that it was a "tough race" for him as he was pushed by Max Verstappen to the line in the final few laps of the race.

In his post-race interview, the McLaren driver reflected on his performance in tricky conditions and said:

"Tough race! Especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, especially in the last two laps. A little bit stressful, I won't lie. But an amazing way to start the year. A tough one because we went off, went through the gravel, got damage, just tricky conditions but these ones are enjoyable, fun, and unpredictable but this time we got it right and ended up on top.

"It's only the first round of 24, so dealing with the pressure, dealing with Max, dealing with Oscar, I was pushing the whole way through. A tough one, so to not make overly too many mistakes or a mistake that cost me anything, I can take a bit of credit for that. A tough but challenging race. But for McLaren, I need to give them a big thanks because they have given me an amazing car."

With his race win in Melbourne, Norris also ended Max Verstappen's streak of leading the driver's standings since Spain in 2022. This was the Brit's second successive race win in F1 after he won the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi to finish second in the driver's championship behind the Red Bull driver.