Norris admits Sprint mistake, ‘should never have attempted’ move on Piastri

Lando Norris says he let McLaren down and should never have attempted his overtaking move on Oscar Piastri that resulted in the pair colliding in the Sprint at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The two McLaren drivers came together when Norris tried to pass Piastri on the final lap of Saturday’s race, taking them out of fourth and fifth. Following overnight talks, the pair finished in those same two positions in Sunday’s grand prix – Norris ahead of Piastri – and the defending champion changed his previous stance that he was entitled to go for the move.

“No, it’s pretty straightforward, I can’t attempt what I did,” Norris said. “I should never have attempted it in the first place, even if the move was on. I simply have got to think more 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 apologized to all of them and I owe them all an apology, and will do better next time.”

RELATED: Stella gets serious with McLaren drivers after Singapore collision

After being overtaken by Kimi Antonelli late in Sunday’s race, Norris saw any chance of a podium slipping away and offered to help Piastri find a way past Lewis Hamilton behind him if required, but ultimately the Australian made the move stick without additional support.

“Oscar was unfortunate with a puncture and I saw there were quite a few cars… I also had a few problems with the car myself, so it was more of an opportunity to get more points and get Oscar back up the order than it was for me to catch Kimi, because I couldn’t,” he said. “I saw there were three or four cars in between, so I asked but I didn’t need to in the end. We still got the best points we could as a team.”

Team principal Andrea Stella welcomed Norris’ offer of teamwork late on, but says there will still be talks held after the Singapore weekend to avoid a repeat of Saturday’s collision.

“I said that it was an unacceptable incident, and I was very pleased that our drivers also took this view,” Stella said. “So, we’re on the same page about how we want to move this team forward, in a joint effort. We’ll discuss it further, but not because we need to revisit the ‘why’ or ‘how’ of the contact, but to reflect together on what sort of team we want to be.

“We must be aware that, whether we’re at the factory, in the pit lane or in the cockpit of a car, the team’s interests take precedence over any individual’s interests. There is still a great deal we can do to become an even more united and stronger team. This is what I, and everyone who works at McLaren Mastercard, expect from our drivers.

“I was therefore pleased with what Lando said during the final laps of the race, and I expect to see more examples of this in the future, whether expressed over the radio during the race, behind closed doors in our meetings, or when we discuss strategies.”