Lando Norris has said his conversations with McLaren were not particularly “joyful” as he dealt with the aftermath of the Canadian GP.
Norris triggered an intra-McLaren clash last time out in Canada, as he hit the back of Oscar Piastri’s car during a late-race overtaking attempt.
Lando Norris: Not the most joyful of conversations
Norris was lining up an overtake on Piastri on Lap 67 of the Canadian Grand Prix when he anticipated a gap opening up for him as the pair powered along the pit straight.
But the gap didn’t materialise, and Norris was wrong-footed into a collision with the back of Piastri’s car.
The resulting damage after hitting the pit wall eliminated Norris on the spot, while Piastri survived to come home in the same fourth place he occupied before the collision.
Norris immediately took to the team radio to apologise and take responsibility for the incident, and made a beeline for Piastri after the chequered flag to apologise.
With Norris having only really damaged his own race results and championship aspirations, as well as having been so upfront about his culpability, the reaction of all the involved parties was one of calm acceptance of the less-than-ideal circumstances. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella confirmed talks would be held in order to analyse what had gone wrong and to take some positive lessons from the incident.
Those talks were carried out in the days following the Canadian Grand Prix, Norris confirmed on Thursday in Austria, revealing how things had played out.
“Talks have been talks, and there’s been a good amount of talks, but there’s been good understanding of everything, realising my thoughts and understanding things from both my side and explaining that to the team,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com, at the Red Bull Ring.
“But I think I made it clear from the immediate moment that I misjudged it, and I took the fault for it.
“So, not the most joyful conversations, but conversations that needed to be had, clearly and obviously, from us as a team, because it’s not just about myself; it’s how we perform as a team.
“We all know what rule number one was [the two McLarens must not collide – editor], and continues as it will always be.
“So, yeah, some very constructive things, and in an unfortunate but good way, I think many things have come out stronger than I would say they were prior to the weekend, which [you] might not expect, but I think is a good outcome.
“I think, through an unfortunate circumstance, a lot has been learned, and a lot of things have turned into being stronger than we were before, which is a good thing for all of us.”
Norris has had a habit of being particularly self-critical in adverse situations, and Stella said in Canada that the British driver – who trails Piastri by 22 points in the Drivers’ Championship following the incident – would have the “full support” of McLaren to help quickly move on.
Asked how long it had taken him to get over the disappointment of Canada and the clash, Norris’ body language suggested that he had truly put the matter behind him as he confidently and matter-of-factly answered.
“I almost forgot about it until earlier today, so I feel good. I’m excited for this weekend,” he said.
“I mean, it took me a little time, because, for me, the team means everything to me, the people that I have grown up with, the people that gave me my opportunity in Formula 1. I want to win with McLaren.
“So, for me, for what happened in Montreal, to have happened with my team-mate, disregarding whether it was with any other car but it was my team-mate, this was probably the most painful part for me, because it’s the last thing that I would ever want happen between me and my team-mate.
“For the action to have come from me, I felt bad. I felt very bad for the team and all the people who work in McLaren so it was a tough couple of days.
“But also, I think something I’ve got better at is dealing with those moments and speaking to Andrea, my team around me, Zak, trying to move on as quickly as possible was very important.
“I’m coming to this weekend with that in the past, and we go again.”
With Norris having put the contretemps behind him, Piastri was equally magnanimous as he spoke about how the transparency between the two McLaren drivers had de-escalated any potential tensions with immediate effect.
“All good. We spoke about it honestly before we even got back to the team,” he said.
“Lando put his hands up and apologised. So, all good and looking forward to going racing again.”
Given that the incident could have had far bigger consequences than it did, with Piastri’s own points score put at risk, the Australian was asked whether he had sought any changes in the rules of engagement between the two McLaren drivers.
“I think the biggest and most important thing was just that things remained fair from as many aspects as you can,” he said.
“Obviously, there are certain situations that are not always going to be completely fair—whether it’s strategy, because there’s only one pit box, or some other things. But I think that’s the biggest thing for both of us.
“Obviously, the first rule, regardless of whether it’s written down or not, is that the two cars from the same team don’t crash. I think that’s the big thing.
“In Canada, what we’ve done well this year is acknowledging that it’s a possibility. I think we dealt with it very well in Canada and since Canada. I don’t have anything else.
“I think what we’re doing and the way we’re going about things is the correct approach. It’s obviously a difficult one to navigate, but that’s a good problem to have in some ways. What we’ve been doing is good, and just a fair opportunity is what we both ask for.”
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