Norris apologises to McLaren after Piastri clash costs team points in Singapore sprint

Lando Norris has issued a full apology to McLaren after colliding with team-mate Oscar Piastri on the final lap of Saturday’s sprint race at the Singapore Grand Prix, admitting he should never have attempted the move that sent both cars spinning at Turn 5.

Norris dived down the inside of Piastri in the closing stages of the 20-lap contest, making contact with the Australian’s right-rear tyre. The incident dropped Norris from fourth to eighth and forced Piastri into retirement — a costly outcome for a team fighting at the sharp end of the constructors’ standings.

Team principal Andrea Stella described the clash as “not acceptable” and confirmed the team would hold talks to prevent a repeat. Norris, who had initially defended the attempt on Saturday by saying “it was a big gap, so I went for it — I have the right to do that”, adopted a markedly different tone by Sunday.

“I can’t attempt what I did,” Norris said. “I should never have attempted in the first place, even if the move was on. I’ve got to think of the team that I represent more than myself. It was a mistake on my part, and I let down the team. I’ve also apologised to all of them — I owe them all an apology, and I will do better next time.”

Norris did salvage something from the Singapore weekend with fourth place in Sunday’s grand prix, recovering from fifth after Kimi Antonelli pitted under a lap-39 virtual safety car to inherit the position. He spent the closing laps chasing Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, catching the seven-time champion within 11 laps despite Hamilton running on used soft tyres.

However, Norris struggled to complete the pass cleanly, was briefly overtaken by a charging Antonelli, and ultimately crossed the line 16 seconds behind the leading Mercedes — suggesting he could not have matched its late-race pace regardless.

“The result was as good as we could achieve today,” Norris said. “I think I could have achieved it in a better way and at least put up a good fight with Kimi. Both me and Lewis obviously wanted to see who would brake later into Turn 1 — he didn’t even brake into Turn 1, so I was also going off. I could have put up a better fight with Kimi in that case and could have fought for a podium.”

The weekend leaves McLaren reflecting on a sprint race that should have delivered a comfortable double points finish, with Norris’s lapse in judgement turning a controlled afternoon into an unnecessary flashpoint between two drivers who remain central to the team’s championship ambitions.