Oscar Piastri has confirmed that he and teammate Lando Norris are still free to race against each other, despite their collision during the recent Grand Prix of Canada. The Australian emphasizes that the incident has not caused lasting damage within the team, and that the focus remains on a joint title fight. He wants to keep the team ‘united’ so that it remains competitive in the future.
During the GP of Canada, both McLaren drivers got involved in a late battle for fourth place. Norris tapped the rear of Piastri, which meant the end of the race for him. Piastri escaped without damage and finished fourth, extending his lead over Norris in the championship to 22 points. Despite the clash, the atmosphere at McLaren has remained relaxed, Piastri revealed, also because Norris immediately took the blame.
“Everything is okay,” Piastri confirmed during the FIA press conference. “We had already sorted it out among ourselves before we even went to the team. Norris apologized and with that, everything was fine again. I’m looking forward to racing again. When asked whether McLaren has stricter team rules – or papaya rules – since the incident, Piastri responded clearly: “No, the same as always. What happened in Canada was far from ideal, but we are still allowed to race against each other. After all, we are both fighting for a championship. As long as we don’t drive each other off the track.”
Webber versus Vettel 2.0
Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, knows firsthand how rivalry within a single team can unfold. In 2010, he himself fought a fierce title battle with teammate Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull, including a notorious crash in Turkey and internal tensions over team preferences. However, Piastri does not want to draw comparisons. “I think the situation is just very different,” said the Australian. “Lando and I are very different people than Mark and Seb. The dynamics within our team are also different. What happened in Canada was a misjudgment by Lando, he himself admitted that immediately.”
Finally, Piastri emphasized that he and Norris keep the bigger picture in mind. “We knew at the beginning of this year that it would probably be a neck-and-neck race between Lando and me,” he admitted. “We prepared well for this. So it surprises no one that we are now in this scenario. I’ve said it before, but Lando and I don’t want just one chance to win a title. We want to hold onto this as long as we are in Formula 1. Success in the coming years plays a very big role. Keeping the team united is a very simple way to achieve that.”
