A contrite Lando Norris apologised to Oscar Piastri and McLaren after accepting total blame for the “silly” collision with his team-mate in the Canadian Grand Prix.
For the first time in their title duel this year in the kind of incident that even the team’s management have previously admitted was inevitable, the two McLarens made contact as they battled over fourth place down the pit straight with four laps to go amid a tense finish at the front in Montreal.
Having swapped positions once already at the end of the previous lap, Norris attempted to re-pass Piastri down the inside of the main straight but badly misjudged the move – hitting his team-mate’s rear tyre and crashing into the pit wall, sustaining immediate race-ending damage.
Piastri’s car also sustained damage, although the Australian able to pit under the subsequent Safety Car and hold on to fourth place.
Norris immediately took the blame on McLaren team radio, saying: “I’m sorry. All my bad. All my fault. Stupid from me.”
He struck a similar tone in his post-race interviews in the pen, where he apologised in person to Piastri.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Norris said: “No one to blame but myself, so I apologise to the whole team and to Oscar as well for attempting something probably a bit too silly.
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The McLaren team react to Lando Norris’ crash when trying to overtake teammate Oscar Piastri at the Canada GP.
“Glad I didn’t ruin his race. In the end apologies to the team.”
Then speaking to the written media, Norris added: “Rule number one is not to make contact with your team-mate, and that’s what I did,” said Norris.
“McLaren is my family and I race for them every single weekend and try and do well for them on and off the track. So when I let them down like this and make a fool of myself like I did today, I have a lot of regret.
“I’m not proud of myself, I feel bad, so apologies to all of them.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown had said as long ago as the season’s fifth round at April’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that it was “definitely a matter of when, rather than if” his two drivers could come together on track.
However, while an incident may have long been expected internally, Norris still admitted: “This was just more silly. This wasn’t even like a ‘that’s racing’, it was just silly from my part.”
The incident brought up Norris’ first race retirement since last June’s Austrian Grand Prix and saw him drop 22 points behind Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship.
Piastri: I don’t think there were any bad intentions involved
While the collision ultimately did not cost him the fourth place he had occupied for most of the race, Piastri acknowledged that “obviously it’s not ideal for anyone” at McLaren.
He added: “But if Lando has taken full responsibility then that’s how it goes I guess. Just a bit of a tricky race in general and not an ideal finish.”
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Karun Chandhok takes a closer look at Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collision in the final stages of the Canadian GP.
The McLarens had started fourth places apart on the grid with Piastri in third and Norris seventh but entered the closing stages of the race in what became a three-way fight with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli for third place.
On an alternative tyre strategy to his team-mate after a longer first stint on hard tyres, Norris was the quicker McLaren in the closing stint and after catching his team-mate overtook Piastri with a bold move down the inside of the hairpin on lap 63.
Piastri then drafted back past Norris down the subsequent back straight before, with the cars then making contact halfway down the next shorter straight.
“He made quite a large move into Turn 10, held my own into the chicane, and it was definitely a tough battle but a clean one up until that point,” said Piastri on the lead-up to the crash.
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A side-by-side look at how Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s clash at the Canadian GP compares to a very similar incident between Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at the Chinese GP in 2011.
“I’ve not seen the incident, but I don’t think there were any bad intentions involved, I think it was just unfortunate really. I’ll go and have a look obviously but we’re both fighting for a world championship and am very thankful to the team that they allow us to race.
“I don’t expect this to change anything in terms of that. We’ll keep going racing through the year.”
‘There was no gap there’ – Pundits’ confused by Norris’ costly move
Sky Sports F1’s Nico Rosberg:
“We are thankful that McLaren let them race because it brings us a lot of excitement. It was an amazing battle to watch the two of them go head-to-head.
“Lando’s lunge into the hairpin was beautiful then afterwards was very strange, the mistake Lando made. It’s just one more mistake of the many and it’s a big mistake.
“He really committed and stayed on the throttle. There was no gap there. It’s a bit awkward.
“This is not too difficult to sort out because Piastri has not done anything and Andrea [Stella] just needs to talk to Lando and understand, not even blame because it’s a misjudgement, but go through it.”
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George Russell, Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli reacted to Lando Norris’ crash after a battle with his team-mate Oscar Piastri at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Sky Sports F1’s Danica Patrick:
“I wonder if there’s a bit of desperation there for the dynamic that’s been unfolding throughout the season.
“He could have gone right or lifted. He came off the chicane and had the momentum over and in his head there was no way he was going to lift and he ran out of room.
“Obviously the right move would have been going to the right. Oscar was always going to defend that side of the track.”
Next up for the 2025 Formula 1 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is live on Sky Sports F1 from June 27-29. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
