WATCH: Sainz and Norris’s views of Lap 1 tangle with Kvyat
A nightmare – that’s probably the best way to characterise McLaren’s first lap in China. Although Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris had qualified P14 and P15 respectively in Shanghai, both had high hopes their race pace would allow them to fight for points. In the end, neither got the chance to demonstrate that potential after both were caught up in an opening lap tangle with Daniil Kvyat which earned the Russian a drive-through penalty.
You’ve seen the incident from Kvyat’s perspective, now here’s a look from the view of the two McLaren drivers. As you can see, Norris found himself temporarily looking skywards before coming back down to earth with a big bump. No wonder his car handled so badly afterwards and was eventually withdrawn – just take a look at the before and after photos of the floor of his MCL34 below.

Still, at least Norris could laugh about the incident on social media…
Next Up
Related Articles
OFFICIAL GRID: Who starts where for the Austrian GP
BettingOur final Austrian Grand Prix betting predictions made
Stromsted secures victory in thrilling F3 Spielberg Feature Race
Verstappen's best result yet in 2026 gets your vote
Williams Austria performance 'not good enough' – Sainz
Hamilton questions Ferrari's lack of pace in Austria