Lando Norris has apologised to McLaren after colliding with team-mate Oscar Piastri in the closing stages of the Singapore Sprint, an incident that forced the Australian into retirement and dropped the reigning world champion to eighth place. Norris said he believed the overtake was possible but wanted to review the incident before offering a definitive judgement.
The clash capped a difficult Sprint for McLaren at Marina Bay. As had happened at Sepang in the previous round, the start was delayed for several minutes after a heavy rain shower before the race. This time, however, the outcome was far more damaging for the Woking team.
Late Singapore Sprint contact ruins McLaren recovery
Charles Leclerc’s heavy tyre degradation in the closing stages had allowed both McLarens to close back in, with Oscar Piastri running fourth and preparing to challenge the Monegasque driver.
Before Oscar Piastri could make a move, however, Lando Norris attempted to pass his team-mate. The two cars made contact, sending Piastri into the barriers and out of the race.
Lando Norris, who had been running fifth before the incident, eventually fell back to eighth by the chequered flag.
“I’d like to look back at what happened first,” Norris told Sky Sport F1 before giving a fuller explanation. “I thought the overtake was possible.
“I apologised to the team because one car went out, but as I said, I want to review it before I speak. It’s not for me to say what approach the team should have taken. You have to ask them.”
The result left McLaren with only one car in the points despite having both drivers in contention for much more before the late collision.
Oscar Piastri avoids blaming Norris after retirement
Oscar Piastri did not publicly accuse Lando Norris after the incident and instead focused on the work awaiting the McLaren mechanics before qualifying, which had been postponed until 15:30.
“I haven’t seen the incident yet, but I don’t think it bothers me too much given the situation because we were fourth and fifth anyway,” Piastri said.
“There will definitely be work for the team to rebuild the car, and that’s a shame for them.”
The restrained response avoided escalating the incident into an immediate intra-team dispute, although McLaren will still need to assess exactly how the contact developed before deciding whether any internal response is necessary.
Norris-Piastri collision helps Antonelli in title battle
The collision also had consequences beyond McLaren. Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished fourth in the Sprint and strengthened his position in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
The Mercedes driver also benefited from George Russell’s retirement after his team-mate spun in the opening stages of the Sprint, allowing Antonelli to further increase his advantage in the title fight.
For McLaren, meanwhile, the focus quickly shifted from the lost Sprint opportunity to preparing Oscar Piastri’s damaged car for qualifying. The team had looked capable of turning Charles Leclerc’s tyre difficulties into a strong late result, but the contact between its two drivers instead left it facing repairs and another missed opportunity.
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