Norris takes responsibility for the clash with Piastri: "It's all my fault"

"The question is not if it will happen, but rather when it will happen.", predicted Lando Norris before the Canadian Grand Prix on an internal fight, or even a clash with his teammate. The Briton couldn't have been more right. To answer his question, the first incident between the drivers McLaren this season took place at the start of the 67th lap in Montreal, in the middle of the pit straight.

After diving on Piastres to the pin, Norris lost the advantage on the following straight. Well positioned to try his luck again at Turn 1, he wanted to attack his teammate from the inside, as the latter closed the door. "I thought Oscar was going to move further to the right, Norris acknowledged upon arrival. Not to leave an opportunity obviously, I don't expect things to be easy. [...] There is attacking and attacking: at the hairpin it was a clean move, but in the end I was stupid."

The Briton then took full responsibility for the incident, both on the radio and in the interview area. "I simply made an error in judgment, he admitted. It's all my fault. I take full responsibility for it.". Piastri did not overwhelm his rival in the championship. "I don't really know what happenedhe assured. I was defending the inside and then I felt a little contact. Honestly, that's all I can say right now."

A contact between the McLarens in Montreal… the 2011 “remake”

Although Lando Norris received a five-second penalty for the collision, which will not be converted into grid places because the Briton is classified at the finish, he actually penalized himself alone. By taking the lead over Oscar Piastri, or even attacking Andrea Kimi Antonelli just ahead, he could have gained two to five points in the Drivers' standings. He ultimately lost 12.

The contact itself is a near-perfect remake of the accident between Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, right here in 2011. But in context, everything is different. This time, the two McLaren drivers are not mere outsiders for the title, already relegated to around sixty points behind a driver Red Bull (Sebastian Vettel At that time, he had a 58-point lead over Hamilton and a 67-point lead over Button). In 2025, the papaya cars are required to win the title.

A closer look reveals that the incident isn't identical to the one in 2011 either. Back then, the rain hampered the drivers' visibility. Furthermore, the driver defending his position was the one identified as the culprit, Button in this case. This time, Norris immediately acknowledged his mistake and apologized to his team, before repeating his apologies to Oscar Piastri in the interview area. While the Briton's fair play is to be commended, one might also wonder: how many drivers have become world champions by being fair?

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