Piastri and Norris: Wipe the slate clean in Mexico after crash in Austin

Piastri and Norris: Clearing the Air for the Mexican Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri has confirmed that both he and his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, will start the Mexican Grand Prix from a “clean slate.” The Australian driver took responsibility for the contact between the two on the first lap of the sprint race of the United States Grand Prix. After undisclosed consequences were imposed on Norris following the incident at the Singapore Grand Prix, Piastri revealed that these have been lifted after a review of the collision in Austin. The season has been intense for the teammates, with Piastri leading Norris by 14 points, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull is 40 points behind Piastri, in third position, approaching both. Both drivers retired from the sprint race in Austin after Piastri attempted to overtake Norris for second place at Turn 1, colliding with Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber and then impacting Norris.

We have reviewed the incident, as we usually do every weekend, regardless of what has happened. I think there is a degree of responsibility on my part in the sprint.

Oscar Piastri

The team principal, Andrea Stella, announced that McLaren would review the Austin incident before this weekend’s race in Mexico, and Piastri accepted the blame.

Piastri commented that both drivers start the weekend with a “clean slate”, focused on competing and determining who will achieve the best result. In response to the question about whether the “consequences” for Norris had been lifted, Piastri confirmed that they had. The aggressive maneuver by Piastri on Norris in Austin, attempting to cut to the inside, resulted in contact with Hülkenberg and, ultimately, in the crash with Norris. McLaren has made it clear that their drivers can fight for the title, as long as they avoid contact on the track. Piastri confirmed that it was the aggressive nature of his move on Norris that led him to take responsibility.