Norris vs Piastri: Tension at McLaren after Singapore crash. F1 at its peak.

Tension at McLaren: The incident that ignited the Singapore Grand Prix

The Formula 1 drivers’ championship is heating up, and the Singapore Grand Prix was the perfect stage to showcase it. The surprising victory of George Russell and McLaren’s constructors’ title were overshadowed by an incident between teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the first lap. The crash, meticulously analyzed, generated debate and tested McLaren’s internal rules. According to the FIA regulations, the contact was a racing incident, but in the context of McLaren’s internal battle, the situation was more delicate.

What happened on the track?

From fifth position, Norris had a good start and went on the attack, overtaking Kimi Antonelli and seeking the inside line of Piastri at Turn 1. Piastri left space, but Norris closed in, getting dangerously close to Max Verstappen. With millimeters of separation, Norris touched the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull, losing control and colliding with Piastri, who was trying to take a line on the outside. Norris suffered damage to the front wing, but the contact with Piastri allowed him to gain third position. From that moment on, Norris seemed to be the fastest, finishing on the podium ahead of his teammate.

“That wasn’t very team-like, but oh well,” Piastri said on the radio.

Oscar Piastri

The team radio revealed Piastri’s frustration, who questioned Norris’s maneuver.

Lap 3

Piastri: “Are we okay with Lando pushing me? Or… what’s going on?” Stallard (career engineer): “Oscar, we are looking at it. Let me answer you.”

Lap 4

Stallard: “I need you to focus on what we can do here. Control the controllable, friend.” Stallard: “There are no further actions from the stewards. As a team, we can see that Lando had to avoid Verstappen, so we will not take any action during the race. We can review it later.” Piastri: “That’s not fair. I’m sorry, that’s not fair.” Stallard: “Oscar, chance to review together. Focus on this race, buddy.” Piastri: “Yes, but if he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, it’s a pretty bad job of avoiding.”

The replay from Piastri’s onboard camera reveals that the contact with Verstappen was not visible, which may have given the impression that Norris intentionally hit him. Norris, for his part, defended his action, arguing that any driver would have done the same.

“The last thing I want is to contact my teammate, especially because all I get are questions from the media. So, you know, it’s me who can’t afford anything compared to him. It would put me at risk as much as if those kinds of things happened. So, yes, I’ll see what I can do about that next time, but the FIA obviously thought it was okay, and the team too. So that’s all.”

Lando Norris

Why didn’t McLaren intervene?

McLaren, true to its “no collisions” rules, chose not to intervene, considering the incident a consequence of the initial contact with Verstappen. Andrea Stella, team principal, understood Piastri’s frustration, but reiterated the importance of open radio communication. The future of the drivers’ championship is uncertain. With six races remaining, the internal tension at McLaren will increase, testing the team’s rules. The battle for the title between Piastri and Norris, and the threat of Verstappen, promise an exciting end to the season.