The Canadian Grand Prix witnessed a dramatic incident involving McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, resulting in Norris's retirement and a five-second penalty. With just four laps remaining, Norris attempted to overtake Piastri for fourth place but misjudged the move, colliding with the Australian's car and the pit wall.
Norris immediately took full responsibility for the collision, both over the team radio and in post-race interviews. He apologized to Piastri and the entire McLaren team, calling his actions "stupid" and admitting he had broken "rule number one" by making contact with his teammate. He expressed his regret for letting the team down, stating that he always tries to do well for them and feels bad when he makes a mistake.
Piastri, while acknowledging that the incident was "not ideal," reacted calmly and pragmatically. He stated that he hadn't seen the incident but trusted Norris's assessment and acceptance of responsibility. “If Lando has taken full responsibility then that's how it goes I guess," Piastri said. He further added, "Just a bit of a tricky race in general and not an ideal finish.”
Despite the collision, Piastri managed to continue the race and finish in fourth place. The incident occurred when Norris attempted to pass Piastri on the inside of the main straight, but there was not enough room, leading to contact between Norris's front wing and Piastri's rear tire. The impact sent Norris into the wall, causing significant damage and forcing him to retire. Piastri was able to pit under the subsequent safety car and maintain his position.
Piastri said that the racing with Norris had been fair until the crash and described it as “tough but clean”. He said, “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."
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella described the collision as "not acceptable," emphasizing that the team never wants to see their cars involved in accidents, especially with each other. Stella acknowledged that Norris "paid a price in the championship" due to the retirement but appreciated his immediate apology and acceptance of responsibility. Stella further clarified that the incident was a misjudgment and not a deliberate act against team principles. "Just Lando misjudged the distance to the car ahead and therefore there was no malintent," Stella said.
The stewards investigated the incident and handed Norris a five-second time penalty, as they deemed him solely responsible for the collision. However, the penalty had no practical effect since Norris had already retired from the race.
The incident has further ignited the championship battle between the two McLaren drivers. Piastri's fourth-place finish, coupled with Norris's DNF, has extended Piastri's lead in the F1 drivers' standings to 22 points. Despite the increased gap, Piastri remains cautious, stating that it is still too early in the season to feel comfortable and that he needs to keep improving.
Despite the on-track incident, both drivers have maintained a respectful and professional attitude. Piastri said that he did not believe there were any bad intentions involved and that it was just an unfortunate racing incident. He also expressed his gratitude to the team for allowing them to race each other.
The McLaren team management has stated that the incident will not change their approach to allowing the drivers to race. They trust that both Norris and Piastri will learn from the experience and continue to compete fairly.
