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The McLaren driver delivered a resolute reply to the complaints of his teammate Oscar Piastri after their contact at the Singapore Grand Prix, asserting that any racer who would avoid a similar passing move should not compete in Formula One.

Race Incident Ignites Internal Conflict

The Grand Prix on the Marina Bay street circuit was claimed by George Russell, but was marked due to the contact in the opening corners, when Lando Norris attacked Piastri then collided with his teammate after he had clipped the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead.

Any driver in F1 would have tried exactly the same move as I did, therefore if you blame me for only going on the inside of an opening you ought not be in Formula One,” he said. “There was acceptable with my move.”

Championship Battle Heats Up

The two McLaren drivers are in a direct contest for the world title, after McLaren claiming the constructors' title in Singapore. Both drivers ended up third and fourth, with Norris reduced the points gap to Piastri down to 22 points with six races left.

The Australian driver was furious in the moment, decrying that it was wrong that the team would not intervene to have Norris return the place because he felt Norris had pushed Piastri off the line. However, the stewards took no action.

Norris's Defense

“I misjudged somewhat how close I was to Verstappen, but that is racing plus I would have finished ahead of Piastri regardless,” said Lando. “I was on the inside and the last thing I wanted I want to do was to collide with Oscar. Given my title position I'm in, I cannot afford such a move as opposed to him. The FIA thought it was fine and the team agreed.”

Teammate's Reaction

Oscar Piastri stated he would reserve judgment till the team held a review. I have to examine at the video and more closely and reach my conclusion then,” he said. “It is the first lap, tensions are high so drivers are encouraged to express our perspectives on what happened. I expressed mine and we'll talk about it moving forward.”

Team Principal's Viewpoint

The McLaren team principal Stella also maintained the team would review their strategy in dealing with both drivers. We must place everything into context. These are the remarks of a driver during an F1 race, there’s the heat of competition. The information we have is only his point of view. As always we'll hold a constructive discussion, build from there and emerge stronger.”