Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s championship rivalry reached a boiling point at the Singapore Grand Prix, after the McLaren pair made contact on the opening lap — leaving Piastri furious with his teammate’s
driving.
Starting fifth, Norris got a blistering start off the line, passing Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and lunging alongside Piastri into Turn 3.
As he tried to avoid Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ahead, Norris clipped the Dutchman’s rear wheel, which in turn pitched him into his own teammate’s car — slightly damaging Piastri’s front wing.
I hope Oscar Piastri has learned from this. In Formula 1 being kind and playing the good teammate doesn’t work both ways.pic.twitter.com/WXr0up8uKb
— MV33Racing🏎 (@MV33Racing) October 5, 2025
The stewards reviewed the incident but decided against taking further action. McLaren also chose not to issue team orders, sparking frustration from the Australian.
Piastri: “That’s Not Fair”
Over the team radio, Piastri didn’t hold back his irritation after hearing the team’s stance.
“If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, then that’s a pretty **** job of avoiding.”
Oscar Piastri is NOT HAPPY with Lando Norris. pic.twitter.com/qcvIabrC4w
— Motorsport (@Motorsport) October 5, 2025
Tom Stallard (race engineer): “As a team, we see Lando had to avoid Verstappen, so we won’t take any action during the race. We can review further afterwards.”
Oscar Piastri: “Mate, that’s not fair, that’s not fair. If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, then that’s a pretty **** job of avoiding.”
Despite the early drama, both McLaren drivers recovered to finish strongly — Norris securing third and Piastri just behind in fourth.
McLaren Clinch Constructors’ Title Despite Internal Rivalry
While tensions simmered, McLaren had plenty to celebrate. Mercedes’ George Russell took victory ahead of Verstappen and Norris, but the combined 27 points from the McLaren duo were enough to seal the Constructors’ Championship — their second in a row and tenth in the team’s storied history.
The result also saw Norris close the gap to 22 points behind Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship, keeping the title fight very much alive with six races remaining.
Rivalry Turns Red-Hot
The 2025 season has seen the Norris–Piastri rivalry evolve into one of Formula 1’s defining storylines. The two have gone wheel-to-wheel all year: from near misses in Canada to bold overtakes in Austria and Hungary.
While McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has repeatedly emphasized “respect and balance” between the drivers, the Singapore clash underscored how fragile that equilibrium has become.
With both drivers pushing for their first world title, McLaren now faces a familiar F1 dilemma: how to keep two championship-caliber racers from turning their fierce competition into a costly feud.
“They’re both exceptional talents,” Stella said earlier this season. “But when the margins are this small, emotion can sometimes get the better of reason.”
And in Singapore, it certainly did.
