Norris and Piastri: Crash in Canada strengthened McLaren, say drivers

Norris Asserts That the Crash with Piastri Strengthened McLaren

Lando Norris has stated that the consequences of the crash with his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, in the Canadian Grand Prix, have strengthened the team and prevented their relationship from deteriorating. The incident occurred when Norris and Piastri were competing for fourth place in Montreal, resulting in Norris’s retirement four laps from the end, while Piastri managed to finish fourth without major problems. The British driver immediately took responsibility for the accident over the team radio, although McLaren deemed it necessary to bring both drivers together after the race to discuss the incident in detail.

“There were many conversations. There was a good understanding of everything, you know, understanding my thoughts and understanding things from my side as well as explaining them to the team”.

Lando Norris

Norris added: “I think I made it clear from the start that I judged it wrong and took the blame. So, yes, they weren’t the most cheerful conversations, but they were necessary, clearly, and obviously from us as a team, because it’s not just about me, but about how we act as a team and we all know what the number one rule was and continues and always will be.” “So, yes, some very constructive things and, in an unfortunate way, but good, I think a lot of things have come out stronger than I would say they were before the weekend, which you might not expect, but I think it’s a good result.”

When asked about the lessons learned from the crash, Norris added: “I think one of the first lessons was that I took responsibility, which I did at the time. Taking responsibility for what happened, I think it sets a good example for us as a team.” “I’m not here to try to set the best example of how to own up to mistakes, but I think that’s also one of the things we’ve improved a lot on in recent years. It’s part of nature and it’s human to make mistakes, take responsibility, learn from them and move on and improve.” Norris emphasized the importance of taking responsibility to keep the relationship with his teammate stable in the second half of the year. Piastri leads Norris by 22 points before the Austrian Grand Prix, and the British driver highlighted the importance of staying calm in the second half of the season.

“Between the trust and honesty that Oscar and I have for each other, it’s important that we maintain it, that we stay strong as a team because we don’t want to have the downfall that we know many other teams have had in the past”.

Lando Norris

“We want to race each other fairly and hard and to the limit and not repeat what happened last time, and that leads us both, although Canada was my fault. So, yes, from a mental point of view, from a constructive point of view, I think that’s why it was positive.” Piastri stated that Norris’ apology was sufficient to put the incident behind them and reiterated the need for both drivers to maintain a healthy relationship. “It was a lapse in judgment from Lando that he admitted and apologized for immediately; I don’t think he needed anything more,” said Piastri. “We knew going into this year that it was probably going to be a close fight between Lando and me with a championship on the line, so it’s no surprise to anyone that we’re in this scenario now.” “Ultimately, you’re just trying to be as fast as possible and do the right thing, that’s all you can do. I’ve said it many times before, but Lando and I don’t just want a chance this year to win a championship. We want this to continue for as long as we’re in Formula 1.” “The headline a few weeks ago was: ‘It’s not wise to fight for a championship or win a championship and tear down the house with it.’ I think that’s still very present in our minds, and we want this success in the years to come. Having the team united is a very simple way to do it.”