Carlos Sainz’s Williams car caught fire in a chaotic start to the Austrian Grand Prix.
While pole-sitter Lando Norris led the pack away for the formation lap, 19th-placed Sainz failed to drive off his mark on the grid.
Sainz said over team radio: “Something is stopping the car from moving.” Eventually, the trackside marshals pushed the car, with the FW47 eventually able to get away.
However, when Sainz entered the pit-lane – with the start aborted – the rear of his car suddenly caught fire due to a brake issue.
A host of marshals put out the fire with extinguishers but inevitably, Williams were forced to retire Sainz from the race before it even started.
Sainz left the car unscathed but had his head in his hands on a weekend to forget for the ex-Ferrari driver.
Alex Albon then retired from the race early on, resulting in a double DNF for James Vowles’s team at the Red Bull Ring.
Lando Norris claimed an impressive victory from pole position, leading a McLaren one-two with Oscar Piastri in second, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed third place.
F1 next heads to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and round 12 of the 2025 season next week.
