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Norris says McLaren will continue to let him and Piastri race each other
Lando Norris says he and Oscar Piastri remain free to race at the United States GP, but another collision will not be acceptable.
Lando Norris says McLaren will continue to let him and Oscar Piastri race each other at the United States Grand Prix, while making clear that another collision cannot happen.
Speaking to media in Austin on Thursday, Norris said the pair had been spoken to after their contact in the Singapore Sprint. The team-mates collided on its final lap; Norris accepted responsibility, although the stewards classified it as a racing incident.
McLaren’s drivers retain their freedom to race
Norris indicated that the team had addressed the incident with both drivers, but had not imposed a ban on racing. He stressed that the contact in Singapore must not be repeated, pointing as well to a collision between the pair at Turn 1 in the Sprint at last year’s event.
The message leaves the two McLaren drivers free to compete, with avoiding contact the clear condition. Norris’s account comes as he looks to recover from a difficult Singapore weekend. His collision-related apology after the Baku clash with Franco Colapinto offers another recent example of the attention incidents involving Norris can draw.
Norris wants a more manageable car for next year
Norris also discussed McLaren’s form after a strong summer, during which he won in Hungary and the Netherlands and secured three pole positions. He said the car had become quicker, but remained extremely difficult to drive at the limit.
In his view, extracting a qualifying lap had been exceptionally demanding, and the narrow margins around his pole performances were not evidence of an easy run. He felt he had been able to compensate by putting laps together and driving well, but said the current car was not one with which to win a championship.
Norris believes another victory remains possible this season, though he said McLaren needs a faster car to achieve it. Looking further ahead, he wants a car that is substantially easier to handle, arguing that the current level of difficulty is not compatible with a title challenge. That concern sits alongside McLaren’s plans for using its final 2026 upgrades to shape next year’s car.