Lando Norris delivered an uncompromising riposte to the complaints of his angry McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri after the pair clashed at the Singapore Grand Prix, declaring that anyone who would not attempt a similar overtake “should not be in Formula One”.
The incident occurred in the opening corners of the Marina Bay circuit, where Norris attacked Piastri and banged into his teammate after clipping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in front. Norris said: “I misjudged a little bit how close I was to Max, but that is racing and I would have ended up ahead of Oscar anyway.”
Piastri was furious at the time, decrying it as unfair that the team would not intervene to have Norris return the place. However, the stewards took no action. Piastri reserved judgment until a team debriefing: “I need to look more at the replays and in more detail and come to my conclusion then.”
The race was won by George Russell for Mercedes, while Norris and Piastri finished third and fourth respectively. Norris narrowed the gap to championship leader Verstappen to 22 points with six meetings remaining, after McLaren secured the constructors’ championship.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella maintained the team would review their approach to managing their drivers. “We have to put everything in perspective. It’s the comments from a driver in a Formula One car, there’s the heat of the moment,” he said.
