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The McLaren driver presented a firm response to the objections of his fellow driver Piastri after their contact at the Singapore Grand Prix, stating that any competitor who would avoid an identical overtake should not be in F1.

Race Incident Sparks Team Tensions

The Grand Prix on the Marina Bay street circuit was claimed by George Russell, but was marked by the clash during the opening corners, when Norris went after Oscar Piastri and made contact with Piastri after Norris had nudged the car of Max Verstappen ahead.

“Anyone in Formula One would have done a similar move as I did, therefore if you criticize me for just taking the inside line of a big gap then you do not deserve to race in F1,” he said. It was completely fine with what I did.”

Championship Battle Heats Up

Norris and Piastri are in a direct fight to win the drivers’ world championship, after McLaren claiming the constructors’ championship at the Singapore GP. Both drivers finished in third and fourth places, with Norris reduced the points gap to Piastri down to twenty-two points with six races remaining.

Piastri was furious in the moment, stating that it was wrong for the team did not step in to make Norris return the place because he argued he had barged him out of the way. Nonetheless, the stewards took no action.

Driver's Explanation

I underestimated slightly how close I was to Verstappen, however that's part of racing plus I would have come out ahead of Oscar regardless,” stated Lando. “I was on the inside and what I least wanted I intended to do was to collide with Oscar. Given my title position I'm in, I can't risk making contact as opposed to him. Race officials deemed it fine and McLaren did so too.”

Teammate's Reaction

Oscar Piastri stated he would hold off judgment till the team conducted a meeting. “I need to look more at the replays and in more detail and reach my own opinion after that,” he stated. “It is the first lap, tensions are high and drivers are encouraged to share our perspectives on what happened. I did that and we'll talk about it in the future.”

Team Principal's Viewpoint

The McLaren team principal Stella also stated the team would evaluate their approach for handling their drivers. We must place the situation into context. These are the remarks of a driver in a Formula One car, there's the intensity of the moment. The details that is available is merely his opinion. As usual we'll hold a constructive discussion, build from there and improve.”