After colliding with Oscar Piastri in Singapore, Lando Norris must face “consequences” – plain language was used internally at McLaren.
McLaren driver Lando Norris has admitted that the collision between him and his teammate Oscar Piastri in Singapore will have “consequences” – for him personally.
Norris had pulled up alongside Piastri shortly after the start in Singapore, but was then surprised by a braking maneuver from Max Verstappen in front of him and swerved to the outside—towards Piastri. There was contact—the big topic after the race, among fans and internally at McLaren.
“Of course there were discussions. That was inevitable,” Norris explained. ” The team held me responsible for what happened, and I think that’s fair. We analyzed together what the consequences would be for me.“
Norris did not go into further detail. Not even when asked explicitly whether the incident would have consequences for him. Norris simply said, ”Yes, there are consequences.” But what those consequences would be remained unclear.
McLaren draws a clear line
Norris himself only hinted at the consequences, saying they were there “to prevent something worse from happening than what actually happened,” according to Norris.
“Some consequences may be unpleasant, but Andrea Stella attaches great importance to the team structure that has taken us from backmarkers to the best team in the field—with two drivers who push each other harder than anyone else.”
But something went wrong in Singapore because the McLaren teammates clashed on the track. This contradicts the in-house “papaya rules,” McLaren’s internal code of conduct. “And that’s something we want to avoid,” Norris emphasizes. “The rule is not to collide with each other. It wasn’t an accident in the classic sense, but something minor — but even that is something we don’t want. Things like that just lead to unnecessary discussions.“
”We just want to avoid two McLarens colliding with each other. Zak Brown and Andrea don’t want that – and neither do we drivers. That’s why I was held accountable,” Norris explained.
How Piastri is responding to the McLaren talks
That’s Singapore off the table for Piastri. He talks about “productive discussions” in a small circle and how the rules of the game are now “very clear” — “also for the future,” as Piastri emphasizes.
“The incident in Singapore was not how we want to race. Lando took responsibility for it, as did the team. For us, it’s clear: the way the first lap went in Singapore is not how it should be.“
Piastri said of the incident: ”I don’t think it was intentional. It was a minor misjudgment. But we’ve analyzed the situation: Lando takes responsibility for the collision, and that’s fine.”
How Norris and Piastri intend to proceed
McLaren’s approach to the 2025 Formula 1 season “will not change,” said Piastri. He referred to the papaya rules and explained: “We have a clear set of rules on how we race against each other, and we stick to them. We know what is expected of us – and if we don’t comply, there will be consequences.“
Piastri said that he himself would ”not adjust“ his driving style as a result of the incident. ”I’ll stick to my way of driving.“
Norris was less direct in his comments. He said: ”At the end of the day, it’s racing, so it’s never perfect. I didn’t want that to happen, but I’m never going to pass up an opportunity. There was a gap, I took it, and what happened, happened.“
That’s just the nature of the beast, Norris said: ”When you’re fighting for wins with two drivers, there are inevitably going to be difficult moments. But I think we’ve always been able to resolve such situations well so far—thanks to the leadership of Andrea and Zak Brown and because we talk openly with each other.“
”I don’t know what happened at other teams in the past—like with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg—but Andrea’s top priority is to maintain the morale and structure we’ve built. I’ve been part of it for many years, and especially since Andrea became team principal, he has been very careful to maintain this great team structure.“
That’s why McLaren today has a ”stable framework“ that allows the drivers to ”trust each other and the team,“ Norris said. ”That’s a big part of why we are stronger than the others as a team.”
Is McLaren tripping over its own rules?
Or is McLaren creating more problems than it solves? Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur recently poked fun at the “mango rules,” expressing his incomprehension. The accusation is out there: McLaren is making life difficult for itself.
“I understand that you can see it that way from the outside,” said Norris. “I would probably think the same if I wasn’t part of it. But internally, it’s very simple. A lot of people think there are tons of rules and regulations, but that’s not true. There are only a small number, clearly formulated, and completely understandable for us drivers.”
Immediately after the collision in Singapore, however, opinions differed: Norris saw no fault on his part, Piastri complained loudly over the radio, and McLaren played down the incident. Now came the backtracking with “consequences” for Norris.
But Norris stands by his words: “As Andrea often says, we always have the right to question things. No driver will simply accept everything the team says without checking it. That’s in our nature.”
“I know there are many different opinions, but I am convinced that our approach—Andrea’s, Oscar’s, and mine—is better than that of other teams,” said Norris.
Piastri sees no favoritism
Piastri is also conciliatory: “In the race itself, it’s difficult to assess something like that correctly right away. In hindsight, it’s hard to say whether swapping places would have been the right decision.”
The most important thing for him is “that there is no favoritism or bias” towards any driver. “I’m very happy with that.”