Carlando reunited: Norris and Sainz take on 100 years of karting

Carlando – F1’s favourite bromance – is back, and this time to tear through a century’s worth of machinery like two besties who have just found the keys to a very noisy time machine.

Reunited under the banner of Norris’ ever-expanding Quadrant motorsport brand, the former McLaren teammates ditched the million-dollar simulators and hybrid beasts for something far more raw: karts spanning over 100 years of evolution.

The rules? One out-lap, one flyer, and absolutely no dignity spared in the pursuit of bragging rights.

What followed was less “gentle heritage run” and more “full-send history lesson.”

Vintage chaos and zero brakes

Things kicked off with a 1959 Twin Vill – essentially a rolling reminder that safety used to be more of a suggestion than a requirement. Norris was first up, immediately raising eyebrows.

"He's actually pushing," a surprised Sainz said as he watched F1’s reigning world champion.

Pushing, indeed – and hanging on for dear life.

"That was a workout not to fall out," Norris said after completing the flying lap in 1 minute on the dot. "I found in the end, you have to lean in. You have to, or else you'll fall out the kart."

Sainz, clearly enjoying himself a little too much, edged the first round with a 59.62s lap before hopping into the slightly less prehistoric 1968 HKS – where things got quicker… and only marginally less terrifying.

"The engine is like a proper engine," Sainz said with a big grin on his face. "But it has no brakes. Like zero. Like I was almost out of the seat."

Comfort levels: questionable. Commitment levels: absolutely not.

From Senna-era speed to modern-day showdown

As the decades ticked by, so did the pace. By the time Norris jumped into a 1979 DAP chassis – linked to none other than Ayrton Senna – the lap times were tumbling and the drivers looked slightly less like they were about to be ejected mid-corner.

From there, it was a blur of iconic machinery: late-80s screamers, 90s classics, early-2000s rarities, and even a kart bearing the name of Fernando Alonso. Each step forward brought more grip, more speed, and – thankfully – more brakes.

The grand finale, however, was a modern-day grudge match. Strapped into their own signature machinery – the LN Racing Kart and the CS55 kart – the 2026-spec showdown was predictably tight.

Sainz set the bar high with a blistering 41.40s, but the reigning world champ wouldn't be denied on his own channel. Norris shaved off half a second to claim the final victory with a 40.91s.

It was a fitting end to a day of "scientific" testing that proved one thing: some things change, but the Carlando rivalry is eternal.

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