Norris-Piastri clash overshadows McLaren constructors' title win / Photo: Lillian SUWANRUMPHA - AFP
NYSE - LSE
Norris-Piastri clash overshadows McLaren constructors' title win
The feisty relationship between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris came to a head at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday as it overshadowed McLaren clinching their second consecutive constructors' world championship.
Piastri was left fuming after Norris made a superb start from fifth on the grid and forced his way past in the opening complex of bends.
Sparks flew as the McLaren teammates collided wheel-to-wheel with Norris going on to finish third and Piastri fourth.
"So are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way there?" Piastri complained on his team radio.
Norris denied he had been too aggressive in an incident that could have put both cars out of the race.
"I think if you fault me for putting my car on the inside of a big gap, then I think you shouldn't be in Formula One," Norris told reporters.
Piastri leads the drivers' championship, but Norris trimmed that gap to 22 points with six GPs and three sprints remaining.
The Australian had calmed down by the end of the 62-lap night race around the Marina Bay Circuit and was then more measured in his opinion of the incident.
"I need to look more at the replays," Piastri told reporters.
"Obviously, I think the main thing is the two cars coming together is never what we want.
"I'll go and have a look at it in more detail and come to my conclusion."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella reiterated that the drivers will remain free to race each other until the end of the season.
"We want to protect this 'let them race' concept," Stella told reporters.
"They've been just great individuals, just great contributors and that's why it's been successful so far.
"And definitely we will work hard to make sure this is true for the remainder of the season."
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said that the first-lap incident was just part of "hard" racing but it had been "clean".
"When you have three or four cars all stacked up, that's going to happen.
"As you can see, we are letting them race.
"That was a bit more of a nail-biter there, but they race hard, they race clean, they race to win.
"A lot of racing to go and hopefully a lot more victories for both of them."
Friction between the drivers flared up two races ago in Italy, when they were asked to swap their order after Norris had a slow pit stop dropping him behind Piastri.
Piastri seemed unhappy with the call but complied, leading Stella to say it showed "the values and the principles we have at McLaren".
A.Brincat--JdM
