F1 debate: Does Oscar Piastri have every right to fume at McLaren over Lando Norris clash?
The title battle at McLaren may have finally sparked into life after Oscar Piastri felt aggrieved by the way Lando Norris overtook him in the Singapore Grand Prix
Daniel is Reach PLC's FIA-accredited senior Formula 1 correspondent. He provides constant coverage of the sport's big names like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and produces daily news reports, features and interviews. Daniel also writes a column for each of our national newspapers every Saturday on a race weekend, and puts together a free weekly F1 newsletter sent directly to subscribers every Wednesday.
McLaren are constructors' champions, but their remarkable success was overshadowed in Singapore somewhat by another clash between their drivers. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have got along very well for two team-mates in direct competition for the title, but the cracks are beginning to show.
Piastri, famed for his calmness, could not hide his frustration when Norris banged wheels with him before overtaking on the first lap of the Singapore. Nor his disbelief when McLaren, after waiting for the stewards to decide they were happy not to intervene, chose to follow suit.
"Mate, it's not fair!" he protested over the radio, accusing Norris of doing a "s***" job of avoiding contact with Max Verstappen. Piastri was also a notable absentee from the McLaren staff celebration on the podium, though he did show up for a party in the pit lane later.
He was diplomatic in his post-race interviews, telling Sky Sports he wanted to review the footage of the incident before commenting further. But our two Formula 1 correspondents have had a good look at all the replays and come to different conclusions about whether or not McLaren did the right thing.
Harry Smith - A problem of McLaren's own making
Oh, McLaren, what a mess you have created. While well-intentioned, the 'Papaya Rules' have only muddied the water for Norris and Piastri, and as this slow-burning title fight clunks into life with just six races remaining, we can expect more moments like turn three in Singapore.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: This was hard racing, not dissimilar to Charles Leclerc’s oft-praised move on George Russell at the Dutch Grand Prix. Had this move been made by a Ferrari, Red Bull or Mercedes driver, we wouldn’t be having a conversation right now. But it wasn’t.
READ MORE: Lando Norris admits he 'wanted to throw up' as illness took turn at Singapore GPREAD MORE: Fernando Alonso swears SIX times in furious Lewis Hamilton rant as FIA punishment handed outBound to the papaya rules, Norris had a responsibility to fight Piastri in a clean manner. Instead, he made a bold move on the inside, clattered into Verstappen and then bumped his team-mate in dangerous proximity to the turn three wall. Piastri’s X-rated radio message summed it up pretty well. We’ve seen team-mates come together in a similar fashion before at that corner, and the consequences can be catastrophic, as Esteban Ocon experienced at the hands of Sergio Perez in 2018.
With Verstappen lurking on the outskirts of the title fight, a DNF for Piastri would have blown the doors wide open. Of course, one valid key question stands: Why should Norris care? The Brit has six races left to overturn a 22-point deficit – he needs to attack Piastri at every opportunity. This, I’m afraid, was a problem of McLaren’s making. It’s time to rip the band-aid off and let them fight.
Daniel Moxon - It was for the stewards to decide
A few weeks ago, I was among the many who criticised McLaren for getting involved at Monza when Norris lost track position to Piastri because of a slow pit stop. With that in mind, it would be hypocritical of me to argue in favour of more intervention here.
Norris certainly initiated the contact with Piastri and, yes, could have done more to avoid banging wheels with his team-mate. But that pretty small collision was preferable to slamming into the back of Verstappen ahead of him.
It's not for McLaren to decide whether or not one of their drivers' actions was over the line – it's up to the stewards. They are there to rule over whether or not to penalise anyone for their actions on track and I have no issue at all with the team going along with what the FIA referees decided.
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Admittedly, it's a departure from what we have seen McLaren do previously in the name of their meddlesome 'Papaya Rules', and so Piastri has every right to be aggrieved over that. Why was this the occasion that they decided not to intervene? I'm sure he'll have asked that question in the debrief.
His public frustration was symptomatic of a man now feeling the pressure, having lost ground to Norris in each of the last three Grands Prix now. Piastri is still 22 points clear at the top, but must be starting to feel like the world is against him right now – which could yet light the fuse and see this title fight come alive.