Lando Norris’s title aspirations took a significant hit when he collided with his teammate in the final stages of the Grand Prix of Canada and had to retire. Although the Brit has admitted fault, 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve points the finger at Oscar Piastri.
The inevitable happened at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In lap 67 of the race, both McLaren drivers came into contact. Lando Norris was the worst off: his race was immediately over, while Oscar Piastri was able to continue and secure his fourth position.
The teammates were fiercely battling for fourth place behind Kimi Antonelli. As Norris came alongside on the straight, Piastri did not give an inch and defended his position by braking later. This gave the Brit the opportunity to dive back into the slipstream over the start-finish line. He made his attempt on the left side of the track, but due to the limited space, he crashed into the rear of the Australian’s MCL39. “It’s all my fault. Completely my mistake,” the guilt-ridden Norris reported over the team radio.
Dirty Play
Jacques Villeneuve reflected on the incident on his Instagram account after the race on the circuit named after his father. “It was easy to point the finger at Norris in the collision between the two McLaren drivers,” he stated. “He realized too late that Piastri was moving to the left because he was nose-deep in Piastri’s gearbox, he didn’t realize it and Piastri gradually moved to the left. He shouldn’t do that, it was a bit dirty, so there will be some discussions within the team later.”
The 1997 world champion also spoke to Sky Sports F1, where he again defended Norris. “Well, now he knows how Piastri will behave in the races. So he won’t be surprised anymore,” Villeneuve suspects. “And he was faster. He has generally been faster in races. He just needs to improve his qualifying, as that has been up and down, but he still has a speed advantage. He is behind in points, so he is now more of an underdog rather than the championship leader, and that could help him.”
