Piastri ends discussion on Canada mishap: “We’re still free to race”

Reflecting on McLaren’s eventful conclusion to the Canadian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri confirmed that he and Lando Norris are “free to race,” adding that talks about preferential treatment between the teammates are still “a very long way away” despite his championship advantage growing.

Across the board, the Montreal outing self-admittedly marked a low point for McLaren.

The team not only failed to have a car on the front row of the starting grid for the first time this season but also failed to finish on the podium — in the case of Norris, even failing to finish at all. 

The reason behind Norris’ DNF came as a shock to no one, with the teammates — racing in tantalisingly close quarters all year long — finally coming to blows on the main straight.

After a heated battle across the dying laps of the race, a lapse of judgment from the #4 resulted in contact with the rear of Piastri’s McLaren and the wall, leaving Norris’ wounded McLaren out of the race while Piastri trotted home to finish in P4.

Norris immediately accepted the blame, apologising over the team radio before seeking out Piastri in the TV pen — a sentiment the #81 was happy to accept as the day came to a close.

“It was fine,” Piastri said. 

“Half of [the post-race debrief] was on the way to the Stewards’ room, so that was fun — but, no, all good. 

“We spoke about it honestly before we even got back to the team. 

“Lando put his hands up and apologised, so all good and looking forward to going racing again.”

The Australian added: “What happened in Canada wasn’t ideal, but we’re still free to race, still fighting for a championship each.

“So, no, keep going racing and make sure that we don’t come into contact again.”

Not yet willing to enter discussions with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella regarding preferential treatment in the grand scheme of the championship, Piastri placed fairness at the top of his title fight requirements. 

The 24-year-old says all he and Lando Norris want is a “fair opportunity” as they engage in a battle where, knowingly, only one can come out on top. 

“I think the situation has to change dramatically to start having those conversations, and they’re a very long way away at the moment,” Piastri said. 

“So at the moment, all I can ask for is a fair chance to try and win the championship, and that’s what I want as well.”

Coming into Round 11 of the 2025 season, Piastri boasts a 22-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship standings, growing the margin over his teammate after Norris’ late Canadian blunder. 

Having previously mentioned how much he enjoys having a target on his back, experience from being hunted in the feeder series is fuelling Piastri’s seemingly carefree approach to his first title fight, taking place in just his third year in Formula 1. 

“Obviously I’m enjoying the position I’m in at the moment,” the #81 admitted.

“It’s a position I’ve been in before in my junior career.

“I look at it quite simply: it normally means you’re doing something right if you’re leading a championship. 

“That’s not to say there aren’t things I can improve on—Canada was a scrappy weekend. 

“There have been a couple this year that have not been as good as I wanted, but there have also been a lot that have looked as good as I wanted. 

“Just trying to make every weekend look like that—that’s the most important thing. 

“What’s happening with anyone else on the grid, I’m not really concerned by.

“Ultimately, to try and win the championship, I need to put my best foot forward. If I do that, then I know it’s enough to win. 

“That’s what I’m focused on and trying to do every weekend.”

Gearing up for his third Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Piastri is looking to make a return to the podium this weekend after his run of consecutive top-three finishes came to an end in Montreal.

But it won’t just be his on-track rivals that he’ll have to contend with, with extreme wet weather and hailstorms plaguing the Red Bull Ring during Media Day, and a moderate thunderstorm warning still looming over the Styrian hills ahead of the opening hour of practice.

The Australian will be armed with McLaren’s front suspension setup changes for FP1, with the option — just like in Canada — to revert to the original configuration for the remainder of the weekend.

“We do have some new parts,” he confirmed. 

“I think some bits at the front of the car, and hopefully it makes us quicker — that’s normally the plan.”

Speaking on his prospects for this weekend’s Austrian outing, Piastri added: “We got taken by surprise a little bit that we weren’t as strong as we hoped in Canada, but hopefully it’s a one-off.

“By the time we got to qualifying, I think we were in a better place and in the race, our pace was actually not bad, just we qualified a bit further back. 

“I think we kind of understand what went wrong in Canada. 

“So, we’ll try and have a better weekend here, but I’m confident we’ll be back on top form.”

With the forecast reflecting a 20% chance of showers on Friday, Free Practice 1 will kick off at 21:30 AEST, followed by Free Practice 2 at 01:00 AEST.

Image: McLaren

2025 Austrian Grand Prix Schedule:

Friday, June 27:

FP1: 21:30 – 22:30

Saturday, June 28:

FP2: 01:00 – 02:00

FP3: 20:30 – 21:30

Sunday, June 29:

Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00

Race: 23:00

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