McLaren orders Norris and Piastri to avoid repeat clash

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the team had ordered Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri not to repeat their collision in the Singapore Sprint, as Norris later accepted responsibility and apologized to the team. The stewards classified the contact as a racing incident and issued no penalty. The drivers collided on the final lap when Norris tried to pass Piastri into Turn 5. Piastri had been running fourth and Norris fifth. Norris recovered to finish eighth, while Piastri retired, leaving McLaren with one point from the Sprint. Speaking to Martin Brundle on the grid before the Singapore Grand Prix, Brown said the message to the drivers had been: “That was a don’t do that again. And we didn’t say please. That’s an order.” He called the collision an unnecessary result for the team, which was seeking to close the gap to Ferrari while keeping Red Bull behind. Team principal Andrea Stella said after the incident that the team’s discussions were continuing. He said the important issue was ensuring that the team’s interests came ahead of individual ones, and that he expected both drivers to embrace that approach. The conversations were not finished, he said.