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Lando Norris issued a firm retort toward the criticisms of his teammate Piastri after their incident during the Singapore Grand Prix, asserting that any driver who wouldn't try an identical passing move should not be in F1.

On-Track Clash Sparks Internal Conflict

The race at the Marina Bay street circuit was claimed by George Russell, however was marked by the incident in the first corners, when Lando Norris attacked Piastri and collided with his teammate following Norris had touched the car of Max Verstappen in front.

“Anyone in F1 would have tried the very same move that I did, therefore if you criticize me for only going on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in F1,” he said. It was nothing wrong with what I did.”

Title Fight Heats Up

Norris and Piastri are engaged in a direct contest to win the world title, with McLaren winning the constructors’ championship at the Singapore GP. The pair ended up third and fourth, as Lando reduced the points gap on his title rival to twenty-two points with six meetings remaining.

Piastri was furious at the time, claiming that it was unjust that the team did not step in to make Lando return the place because he believed he had forced him off the line. Nonetheless, race officials did not intervene.

Norris's Defense

I underestimated a little bit how close I was near Max, but that is racing and I would have come out in front of Piastri anyway,” stated Norris. “I was on the inside and the last thing I wanted I want to do is to make contact with my teammate. Given my title position I am in, I can't risk such a move as opposed to him. The FIA deemed it okay and McLaren felt the same.”

Teammate's Reaction

Oscar Piastri stated he would reserve judgment until McLaren held a review. “I need to look at the video and more closely and reach my conclusion then,” he stated. “It is the first lap, emotions are high so we are encouraged to express our perspectives on what happened. I expressed mine and we will discuss it in the future.”

McLaren Boss's Viewpoint

The McLaren team principal Stella also maintained McLaren would review their strategy to managing both drivers. “We have to put the situation into context. It’s the comments from a driver during an F1 race, there’s the heat of the race. The information that is available is only his perspective. As usual we'll hold a productive talk, learn from it and emerge stronger.”