Lando Norris has apologised to Oscar Piastri and McLaren after accepting responsibility for the collision between the two MCL40s during the Singapore Sprint. Andrea Stella, however, has made clear that the team’s internal discussions are not yet finished, with McLaren determined to reinforce the principle that collective interests must come before individual ones.
The incident has overshadowed McLaren’s difficult performance level at Marina Bay, where the team again struggled to fight consistently with Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari. More importantly, the contact between Norris and Piastri cost McLaren valuable points in its battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Lando Norris accepts responsibility for Singapore Sprint clash
Twenty-four hours after the collision, and after the Singapore Grand Prix had concluded, Norris returned to the incident and took responsibility for what happened.
“It’s all pretty simple. I shouldn’t have attempted that move. I should never have tried it in the first place, even if there had been a chance of making it work. I need to think more about the team I represent rather than myself.”
“It was my mistake and I let the team down. I also apologised to all of them: I owed every one of them an apology, and next time I will do better.”
The mistake cost McLaren points in the Constructors’ Championship and prompted the team to hold discussions after Saturday’s Sprint.
Andrea Stella says McLaren discussions are not over
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella had already described the incident as “unacceptable” immediately after the Sprint. Following the main race, however, he offered a slightly different perspective after seeing how both drivers had responded.
According to Stella, Norris and Piastri appear to have understood the underlying problem and the central principle that must guide them: the good of the team has to come before personal interests.
“What happened yesterday, I described as unacceptable, and that is a statement coming from the team principal. But I was very encouraged by the fact that our drivers also expressed the same concept very quickly.”
“So we are aligned on how we want to lead this team into the future, through a joint effort between the team and the drivers.”
McLaren focus moves beyond deciding who was at fault
Stella stressed that the discussions are still continuing, but not because McLaren intends to keep debating the exact details of the collision.
“The discussions we are having are not finished yet,” Stella revealed. “But it is not because we need to go back and discuss whether Lando was alongside Oscar, or things like that… That is not the interesting aspect.”
“For me, the most interesting part is the reflection that all the parties involved — the team and the drivers — will have to make about how we coexist within the team.”
For Stella, the key point is therefore not assigning blame, but reinforcing the behavioural principles McLaren expects from both drivers.
“It is about constantly putting the interests of the team first, even when you are in the cockpit, and recognising them as superior to any individual interest.”
Stella encouraged by Norris response during Grand Prix
Although Stella believes more work remains to be done, he was encouraged by the way Norris approached a situation during Sunday’s race.
“And although, from this point of view, the discussions are not yet complete and there is still work to do to become a more united and even stronger team, I am satisfied that Lando, at one point during the race, adopted this way of thinking.”
The McLaren team principal said that attitude is precisely what he expects from the drivers.
“That is what I expect as team principal. That is what the thousand people who work at McLaren expect from our drivers.”
“So it is positive that we had this example, and I certainly expect to see more of them in the future, regardless of whether these situations are heard over the radio, happen behind closed doors during meetings or are reflected in the way we plan our races.”
McLaren therefore leaves Singapore with an apology from Norris and a degree of alignment between its drivers and management, but Stella’s message remains clear: the issue cannot be considered closed until the same team-first approach is consistently reflected in future decisions on and off the track.
