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Lando Norris delivered a resolute reply to the complaints of his teammate Oscar Piastri after their clash during the Singapore GP, asserting that any racer that would not attempt an identical passing move should not race in F1.

Race Incident Ignites Team Tensions

The race at the Marina Bay circuit was won for Mercedes George Russell, however was defined due to the clash in the first corners, where Lando Norris went after Piastri then made contact with Piastri following he had clipped the Red Bull of Verstappen in front.

“Anyone on the grid would have tried a similar thing as I did, so if you blame me for just taking the inside line of an opening then you should not race in Formula One,” he declared. “There was completely fine with my actions.”

Title Fight Intensifies

The two McLaren drivers are in a close contest for the drivers’ world championship, with McLaren claiming the constructors' title in Singapore. The pair finished third and fourth, as Lando narrowed the gap to Piastri down to twenty-two points with six races remaining.

The Australian driver was incensed during the race, stating it as unfair for the team did not step in to make Norris return the place since he believed Norris had pushed him out of the way. However, race officials issued no penalty.

Norris's Defense

“I misjudged somewhat the proximity I was near Max, but that is racing plus I would have finished ahead of Oscar regardless,” stated Norris. “I was on the inside and the last thing I want to do is to make contact with my teammate. With the [championship] position I'm in, I cannot afford to do that compared to Piastri. Race officials deemed it fine and McLaren did so too.”

Piastri's Response

Piastri commented he wouldn't judge yet till the team held a debriefing. “I need to look at the video and carefully and reach my conclusion after that,” he stated. This was lap one, emotions are high and drivers are encouraged to express our perspectives regarding the clash. I expressed mine and we will discuss it moving forward.”

McLaren Boss's Viewpoint

McLaren's boss Andrea Stella also stated the team would evaluate their approach for handling their drivers. “We have to put everything in perspective. These are the remarks from a driver during an F1 race, there’s the heat of competition. The data we have is only his point of view. As usual we will have a good conversation, learn from it and improve.”