“Just racing” vs “Not very team-like”: Norris and Piastri react to first-lap clash

Tensions flared between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris after a dramatic first-lap clash in Singapore, with Norris defending his aggressive overtake as “just racing” and Piastri calling it “not very team-like” — however, the pair ultimately reunited in celebration as McLaren sealed its first back-to-back Constructors’ Championship since the early nineties.

Rivalry was already brewing at McLaren before the lights even went out, and it took just a few corners for it to boil over. 

When the five lights went out on a damp Marina Bay grid, Norris launched aggressively from fifth, sweeping past Kimi Antonelli and, more controversially, his teammate Piastri to seize third in the opening sequence of corners.

In the chaos that followed, the Brit’s bold move backfired slightly, as a brush with Piastri at Turn 3 sent the Australian tantalisingly close to a premature end in the barriers and left Norris nursing a damaged front wing after he also tagged the rear of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

“I mean, it was slippery, you know,” Norris said, speaking on the controversial opening three corners of the race. 

“It was still wet in a lot of places, but it’s racing. 

“I put it on the inside, I had a small correction, but nothing more than that — it was good racing.” 

The Briton added: “I might look at it and think there’s something else I could have done or done better. 

“Anyone on the grid would have done exactly the same thing as I did. 

“So I think if you fault me for just going on the inside and putting my car on the inside of a big gap, then, yeah, I think you shouldn’t be in Formula 1. 

“So, you know, I don’t think there was anything wrong that I did. 

“Of course, I misjudged a little bit how close I was to Max, but that’s racing. 

“Nothing happened otherwise, and I’m sure I still would have ended up ahead of Oscar anyway because I was on the inside and he would have had the dirty side of the track on the outside. 

“So, I need to go review it, of course. 

“I need to look at things and see if there was something I could have done better. 

“The last thing I want is to make contact with my teammate, especially because all I get is questions from you guys. 

“So, you know, I’m the one that can’t afford anything compared to him. 

“I would put myself at risk just as much if that kind of thing happens. 

“So, yeah, I’ll see what I can do with it next time. 

“But the FIA obviously thought it was fine, and the team did too. So, that’s it.”

Piastri had a similar stance after the race, insisting that he too needed to review the incident before voicing his thoughts to the media, however, the Australian’s unusually agitated radio exchanges throughout the race were telling.

The incident left Piastri seething, his radio echoing with frustration as he called out Norris’ not “very team-like” move and questioned whether the team was “cool with Lando barging me out of the way.”

Race engineer Tom Stallard shut down any hopes of position changes, with McLaren, like the stewards, opting to let the on-track order stand.

Unimpressed, Piastri doubled down moments later, firing back over the radio: “If he had to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, then that’s a pretty **** job of avoiding.”

From there, the championship leader steadied himself in fourth, choosing to “control the controllable” as the chaos subsided.

Ultimately, Piastri was unable to find a way back past his teammate in the relatively subdued 62-lap race, taking the chequered flag in fourth place and losing three points to Norris in the drivers’ championship battle. 

“I need to go and look at it,” Piastri said of the Lap 1 incident.

“You know, obviously, there was contact which is never ideal, but I’ll go and have a look at the replays.”

But while it was a scrappy day on track for the team who ended with a lacklustre 3-4 finish in Singapore, the broader scheme saw McLaren finally confirming the constructors’ world championship as the chequered flag fell.

With 650 points to their name, McLaren secured its first back-to-back team title since their run of four in a row between 1988 and 1991, and as celebrations kicked off while Piastri was still in the media pen, CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella couldn’t contain their praise for the men and women on the ground and back at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.

“The leadership that Andrea has provided to this race team, the whole leadership team, our owners, our shareholders – it’s such a team effort,” Brown said. 

“It’s pretty awesome to go back-to-back. It’s been a while since we’ve done it!”

“It’s an incredible emotion,” Stella added, acknowledging the significance of wrapping up the title so early in the season.

“I want to share it with the team and thank them for the incredible work. 

“Even with six races to go, which looks unbelievable!”

With the constructors’ championship now off the table, the focus shifts completely to the drivers’ championship, which, despite the threat of Max Verstappen in third, is set to be a straight shootout between the two McLaren teammates.

Heading into the final six races of the season, Norris made it clear that the team’s so-called ‘Papaya Rules’ will remain unchanged, which the #4 clarified as the teammates being “open to race” as the finale draws closer. 

“Nothing will change because we’re free to race and have been the whole season,” the #4 said.

Norris now trails Piastri by just 22 points, with the Australian’s total of 336 points now seeing him with less than a race win in hand ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

Held in Austin, Texas, Round 19 will run to a Sprint Weekend format, with eight additional points up for grabs during the Saturday action. 

The drivers will have one week off to recover from the physically exhausting task in Singapore before jet-setting over to the Americas for the upcoming double header in the United States and Mexico, which kicks off on October 17 (04:30 AEST on October 18 for Australian fans).

Image: Formula 1

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