Lando Norris has confirmed that McLaren held extensive internal discussions following his collision with Oscar Piastri during the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix sprint race. The reigning World Champion stated that he received “plenty of telling offs” from the team. Despite the reprimands, Norris affirmed that he and Piastri are still permitted to race each other on track.
The incident occurred on the final lap of the Singapore sprint, where Norris attempted an overtake on Piastri for fourth position at Turn 5. Norris’s move was described as over-optimistic, resulting in contact between the two McLaren cars.
Piastri was forced to retire from the race after hitting the barriers, while Norris recovered to finish eighth, securing a single point for the team. Race stewards investigated the collision but deemed it a racing incident, taking no further action.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella expressed significant frustration immediately after the event, stating that seeing two McLarens make contact was “simply not acceptable.” McLaren CEO Zak Brown later acknowledged the incident as unnecessary but conceded that such clashes are sometimes unavoidable between competitive drivers.
Norris initially defended his attempt, believing the gap was sufficient. However, he later accepted responsibility for the collision and issued an apology to the team.
McLaren subsequently conducted further internal talks at their Woking headquarters to address the matter. Brown conveyed to both drivers that there should be no repeat incidents, describing it as an “order” without negotiation.
The team’s internal racing principles, known as the ‘Papaya Rules,’ aim to allow drivers to compete while preventing incidents that could compromise team results. The Singapore clash demonstrated that these principles require continuous management, even when drivers are not directly contending for the championship.
This was not the first instance of on-track contact between Norris and Piastri. Several high-profile clashes occurred during the 2025 season, including at the Canadian Grand Prix where Norris took responsibility for an incident that ended his race.
Another notable clash in 2025 at the Singapore Grand Prix led to a light sporting sanction for Norris at the subsequent United States Grand Prix. Piastri was granted the perk of choosing his garage exit order, a privilege revoked when he later made contact with Norris in the 2025 Austin sprint.
Piastri has indicated satisfaction with McLaren’s handling of the situation internally. He confirmed that the team and leadership addressed matters appropriately, and he is prepared to continue racing.
The incident in Singapore proved costly for McLaren, impacting their position in the Constructors’ Championship battle against Red Bull. The team is currently defending third place in the standings.
Ahead of the 2026 United States Grand Prix, Norris reiterated the team’s stance: “We’re still allowed to race, but obviously we can’t have a coming together, and we have to avoid that at every opportunity possible.”
During Friday’s practice sessions at the Circuit of the Americas, Charles Leclerc set the fastest times in both FP1 and FP2. Norris finished third in FP1, 0.245 seconds behind Leclerc.
In FP2, Norris placed seventh, 1.082 seconds off Leclerc’s benchmark, with Piastri in eighth, 1.096 seconds adrift. Norris’s best lap in FP2 was notably set on hard-compound tyres.
