Piastri stays calm after Norris collision ends McLaren's Singapore Sprint in chaos

Oscar Piastri declined to criticise Lando Norris after the two McLaren drivers collided on the final lap of the Singapore Grand Prix Sprint race on Saturday, an incident that ended Piastri’s race on the spot and cost the team a damaging haul of constructors’ points.

Running fourth and fifth respectively in the closing stages of the 100-kilometre dash — which had already been delayed 30 minutes by torrential rain — Norris attempted to dive past Piastri on the inside at Turn 5 while chasing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The two cars made aggressive contact, spinning Piastri out and forcing his immediate retirement. Norris recovered but fell all the way to eighth, salvaging a single championship point as Max Verstappen cruised to victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Norris is under investigation by FIA race stewards for causing the collision. Over team radio he apologised and said he believed he was fully alongside Piastri before running out of room at the apex.

Despite the timing — McLaren currently trail Ferrari by 89 points in the Constructors’ Championship — Piastri was notably measured when asked about the incident in the paddock afterwards.

“I’ve not seen it properly. I mean, from where I sit, I’m not… You know, it’s for fourth and fifth for a sprint race, so… I’m not bothered either way,” Piastri said.

Rather than pressing the point, the Australian quickly turned his attention to the practical consequences for the McLaren garage. With qualifying for the main Grand Prix following shortly after the sprint, the team’s mechanics face a tight turnaround to repair significant bodywork damage on both cars.

“Just obviously it’s a lot of work now for the team to get both cars fixed, so… Yeah, just a shame for the team,” Piastri added.

The collision is a costly one in context. McLaren’s deficit to Ferrari in the constructors’ standings means every available point matters, and dropping a combined haul through an internal incident will sharpen scrutiny on how the team manages its intra-team dynamics for the remainder of the season.