Australian Grand Prix: F1 rookie crashes on first career lap to bring out safety car

Australian Grand Prix

Australian Grand Prix: F1 rookie crashes on first career lap to bring out safety car

The Australian Grand Prix got the season underway

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Sunday 16 March 2025 05:37

Home star Jack Doohan crashed on the first racing lap of the 2025 season to bring out an early safety car.

That first lap came later than expected, with Racing Bulls youngster Isack Hadjar crashing on the formation lap to delay the start by quarter of an hour.

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Following the wait, Lando Norris got away well from team-mate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, but it was further back where eyes were fixated as Doohan became the second rookie to crash out in the wet conditions.

That brought out a safety car, but it wasn't able to stop Williams' Carlos Sainz from also suffering a huge moment in the wet and crashing out of his debut with the Grove outfit.

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Doohan had qualified up in 14th on his grand prix debut, and was set to mount a challenge for points at his home race.

The 22-year-old is said to be under immediate pressure to keep hold of his seat at Alpine, with the team having hired four reserve drivers for the 2025 season.

One of those is talented youngster Franco Colapinto, who is on a long-term contract with the Enstone outfit having starred at Williams in the 2024 season.

Doohan's retirement on the opening weekend is unlikely to do his chances of staying in the seat any good, but both rookie drivers that crashed out were okay and will now start their preparations for race two.

Sainz, meanwhile, will be ruing his mistake under the safety car having been in a great position to score points on his Williams debut, particularly having won the 2024 edition of the race.

Max Verstappen Lando Norris Carlos Sainz Oscar Piastri Williams Australian Grand Prix