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Lando Norris delivered a resolute reply to the objections from his teammate Oscar Piastri after their incident during the Singapore GP, declaring that any racer who would not attempt an identical overtake does not deserve to compete in F1.

On-Track Clash Sparks Internal Conflict

The Grand Prix at the Marina Bay circuit was won for Mercedes Russell, however was defined due to the clash during the first corners, when Norris attacked Oscar Piastri then bumped with his teammate following he had touched the Red Bull of Verstappen ahead.

Any driver in Formula One would have tried a similar thing that I did, so if you criticize me for simply going on the inside of a big gap then you do not deserve to race in F1,” Norris stated. It was completely fine with my move.”

Championship Battle Heats Up

Norris and Piastri are engaged in a close contest to win the world title, with McLaren winning the constructors' title in Singapore. Both drivers finished third and fourth, with Norris narrowed the points gap to Piastri to twenty-two points and six races remaining.

The Australian driver was angry during the race, claiming that it was wrong that the team would not intervene to make Lando return the place since he felt Norris had pushed him out of the way. Nonetheless, the stewards took no action.

Norris's Defense

I underestimated slightly how close I was near Max, however that's part of racing and I would have finished ahead of Oscar regardless,” stated Lando. I took the inside line so the last thing I wanted I want to do was to collide with Oscar. Considering my standing I'm in, I cannot afford such a move compared to Piastri. The FIA deemed it okay and McLaren did so too.”

Teammate's Reaction

Piastri said he would reserve judgment until McLaren conducted a review. “I need to look more at the replays and in more detail and reach my judgment after that,” he stated. This was 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

McLaren's boss Stella also maintained McLaren would evaluate their method for handling both drivers. We must place the situation in perspective. These are the remarks of a driver in a Formula One car, there's the intensity of the race. The data that is available is just his point of view. As always we will have a good conversation, learn from it and emerge stronger.”