Piastri says 2026 Singapore clash with Norris was ‘worlds apart’ from 2025 incident

Late in the Singapore Sprint, Lando Norris tried to pass Oscar Piastri on the inside at Turn 5 for fourth. The McLarens made contact; Piastri went into the barriers, while Norris recovered to finish eighth and score one point. The stewards imposed no penalty. Piastri said the 2026 clash was “worlds apart” from the pair’s 2025 Singapore incident.

The collision cost McLaren eight points in its close fight with Red Bull for third in the constructors’ standings. Piastri said it was a shame for the team to miss points and take on extra workload and a damage bill.

At the start of the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, Norris passed Piastri at Turn 3, a move Piastri believed was a clear breach of McLaren’s papaya rules. About the 2026 incident, Piastri said Norris apologised and that the manoeuvre was “not a bad manoeuvre necessarily”; he added that it did not need to happen.

Piastri said the pair had moved on as a team. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella called the collision “not acceptable” and said he would remind the drivers of the team’s racing ethos.