Oscar Piastri has expressed satisfaction with McLaren’s handling of the collision between him and teammate Lando Norris during the Singapore Grand Prix sprint race, considering the issue settled ahead of the United States Grand Prix this weekend.
The incident occurred on the final lap of the sprint when Norris, the reigning world champion, attempted to overtake Piastri for fourth place at turn five. Contact between the two sent Piastri into the barriers, forcing him to retire, while Norris spun but recovered to finish eighth. The collision diminished McLaren’s potential points haul from nine to just one. Although race stewards did not assign any penalties, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described the crash as unacceptable and indicated that discussions with both drivers would follow.
Speaking at Thursday’s FIA press conference in Austin, Piastri said he was content with how McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Stella managed the aftermath. “I’ve been happy with how things have been dealt with,” Piastri stated. “I think the team is aware now that the way they should have been. So that’s been fine. I think it was dealt with appropriately, and we’re ready to go racing again.”
Norris initially defended his move, asserting that Piastri had left sufficient room for the overtake. However, after the main Grand Prix on Sunday, the 26-year-old acknowledged that he had “let down the team” and that the risk taken did not justify the gain. Ahead of the U.S. race, Norris reiterated his responsibility for the incident. “I take responsibility for my mistakes, and I learn from them,” he said. “This team is my motivation every weekend, and my aim is to repay the hard work everyone puts in by improving, making better decisions, and representing the team in the best possible way.”
McLaren faces a pivotal stretch in the constructors championship, having seen its lead over Red Bull shrink from 43 points after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to just seven following Singapore. Recent victories by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Malaysia and Singapore have intensified the battle for third place, with McLaren currently trailing Ferrari in the standings with six races remaining.
On an individual level, Piastri remains seventh in the drivers’ championship with 138 points, behind Norris’s 201, as he continues adapting to the McLaren MCL40. The Australian driver acknowledged a challenging start to the season but believes he is making steady progress. “I feel like I’m slowly getting there, both improving this year and also identifying what I need more of or less of to go quicker from the car,” Piastri said.
McLaren has introduced several upgrades for the Austin track, which features a mixture of high-speed corners and slower sections. Piastri expressed cautious optimism about the car’s performance there, noting the team’s overall performance deficit compared to its rivals but hoping to capitalize on specific strengths. “We know that we’re lacking a bit of performance compared to the teams around us in general, regardless of our strengths and weaknesses, but hopefully at least we can exploit some strengths this weekend,” he said.