Lando Norris says the talks were good after Canada with Oscar Piastri and McLaren F1 team, as the duo elaborate on the ethos and title picture.
It was not the end Norris wanted in Canada. Not just the Brit or Piastri, the whole McLaren team was prepared for such antics to take place at least once in the course of the 2025 season. They expected on Lap 1 for P1, but it happened in dying stages of the F1 grand prix and for fourth place.
Norris raised his hands up straightaway on the radio and reiterated the same in the media. They had less time for debrief due to stewards meeting, but they did manage to discuss what transpired. The Brit maintained his position in the meet of accepting his mistake and misjudgment.
That pretty much did the thing for Piastri as he had no hard feelings on the mistake from Norris. Since the Brit accepted the mistake, it made it easier for the Australian to move on. The Brit noted that they came out stronger as a team after Canada, which was handled in the best way possible.
Piastri praised how McLaren has instilled the ethos in everyone. Despite the mistakes from Norris in multiple weekends, the Australian is not relaxing just yet or counting on his teammate’s lack of confidence. It is still status quo and there is no preferential treatment as things stand.
He doesn’t see the situation as what transpired between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel as such. He doesn’t see changes in papaya rules going forward as well, as they are free to race. For Norris, it was another learning curve and he agrees that the mistakes from him is helping Piastri.
Here’s what Norris and Piastri said:
Talks, debrief –
Norris: “Talks have been talks. There certainly have been a good amount of talks, and there’s been a good understanding of everything and understanding from my side and explaining to the team. I made it clear from the immediate moment I misjudged it and took fault, so of course, it was not the most joyful of conversations, but it was a conversation which needed to be had clearly. It is not just about myself, it is how we perform as a team, and we all know what the number one rule is, and will continue to always be. There were some very constructive things.
“In an unfortunate, but good way, many things have come out stronger, I would say, than they were prior to the weekend, which you might not expect, but it is a good outcome. Through unfortunate circumstances, a lot has been learned, a lot of things have turned it to be stronger than we were before. I had almost forgotten about it until today. I feel good, I am excited for the weekend. I mean, it took me a little time because for me my 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.”
Piastri: “It was fine. Half of it was on the way to the Stewards’ room, so that was fun. But, no, all good. We spoke about it honestly before we even got back to the team. Lando put his hands up and apologised. So, all good and looking forward to going racing again.”
Situation handled well in Canada –
Piastri: “I think the biggest and most important thing was just that things remained fair from as many aspects as you can. 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.”
Norris: “So, for me, for what happened in Montreal to have happened with my teammate, disregarding whether it was with any other car, it was with my teammate, and this was the most painful part for me, because it is the last thing I would ever want to happen between me and my teammate. For the action to have come from me, I felt bad for the team and all the people who work in McLaren, so it was a tough couple of days, but something I’ve got better at is dealing with those moments and speaking with Andrea, my team around me and Zak, and trying to move on as quickly as possible, which is important. I’m coming to this weekend with that in the past, and we go again. I think one of the first few lessons was just me taking accountability, which I did in the moment. Yeah, me already taking accountability for what happened, responsibility for what happened, it sets a good example for us as a team.
“Not that I’m here to try and set the best example of how to own up for mistakes, but I think that’s also one of the things that over the last few years we’ve been much, much better at – I think we are at top level now – is how can we work as a team. Because it is part of sport, part of nature and it’s human to make mistakes, is taking responsibility, learning from it and coming forward and improving. From that point, it was an unfortunate positive, it is also between the trust and honesty that Oscar and I have for one another, it’s important we keep that up. We stay strong. We don’t want to have the downfall that we know many other teams have had in the past. We want to race each other fair and hard, and on the limit, and not have a repeat of what happened last time out and it takes both of us even though Canada was on me. So, yeah, from a mentality point of view, from a constructive point of view, I think that’s why it was positive.”
Papaya rules, changes –
Piastri: “Nope. Same as always. What happened in Canada wasn’t ideal, but we’re still free to race, still fighting for a championship each. So, no, keep going racing and make sure that we don’t come into contact again. And no. I don’t think it will change anything. For me, I certainly won’t do anything different, I won’t behave any differently. If Lando’s going to do anything different, that’s for him to answer, but I don’t expect anything to change. We’ve still got a long season ahead of us. I think it’s going to be a tight battle for the rest of the year.”
Feel for team to manage –
Piastri: “Not really. I mean, we’ve been doing things in terms of strategy to just try and get the best result for each car. I was trying to beat the cars ahead of me, and we wanted to give me enough laps to try and pass them. It is a difficult position. I think the fact that we’ve got a healthy lead in the Constructors’ Championship makes that a little bit easier to manage, but it’s obviously a tough situation. I think we’ve done a very good job of managing things, of pre-empting things, and not being naive that, whilst it’s a good position to be in with two strong drivers and a good lead in the Constructors’ Championship, it obviously does have certain aspects of that job.”
Title scene, healthy lead –
Piastri: “Your version of healthy is much bigger than mine. I think, for me, I just want—and we all want—a fair opportunity trying to win both championships. Especially in the Drivers’ Championship, because ultimately, it can only be one of us. I think the situation has to change dramatically to start having those conversations, and they’re a very long way away at the moment. So at the moment, all I can ask for is a fair chance to try and win the championship, and that’s what I want as well. No, I’m not willing to enter those talks at all. And no. I mean, obviously I’m enjoying the position I’m in at the moment. It’s a position I’ve been in before in my junior career.
“I look at it quite simply: it normally means you’re doing something right if you’re leading a championship. That’s not to say there aren’t things I can improve on—Canada was a scrappy weekend. There have been a couple this year that have not been as good as I wanted, but there have also been a lot that have looked as good as I wanted. Just trying to make every weekend look like that—that’s the most important thing. What’s happening with anyone else on the grid, I’m not really concerned by. Ultimately, to try and win the championship, I need to put my best foot forward. If I do that, then I know it’s enough to win. That’s what I’m focused on and trying to do every weekend.”
Vettel-Webber situation –
Piastri: “No. I think the situation is very different. I think Lando and I are very different people to Mark and Seb. I think the situation within the team, the situation in their careers, was also different. Also, the incident in Canada didn’t warrant any big discussions or big decisions. It was a misjudgement from Lando that he admitted to and apologised for immediately. I don’t think it needed anything else. We knew going into this year that it was probably going to be a close fight between Lando and I with a championship at stake, so it’s no surprise to anyone that we’re kind of in this scenario now. Ultimately, just trying to make yourself as fast as possible and do the right things—that’s all you can do. I’ve said it multiple times before, but Lando and I don’t just want one opportunity this year to win a championship. We want this to go on for as long as we’re in Formula 1. The headline a few weeks ago was: “It’s not wise to fight for a championship or win a championship and bring the house down with it.” I think that’s still very much at the forefront of our minds, and we want this success for years to come. Having the team united is a very simple way of doing that.”
Mistakes helping Piastri –
Norris: “I have been making more mistakes and certainly I have been behind. That has been clear. It’s very close between us. Oscar said he has been more comfortable this season. And that’s what I’ve had to improve and step up more than I have in the past because of the struggles and difficulties with the car this year and some of the understanding. It’s also my job to drive whatever car I get given as I have said it in the past, I still stand by that – whether the car is easy to drive or difficult to drive, you can’t feel things or you feel a lot.
“At the end of the day, the team has given me the car, they have given me things to try and unlock that ability. But it is also my job to drive whatever car I am given. It has been tough and Oscar has done a good job. It’s exciting to see how close it is. It is exciting for everyone watching and good for the team that we push each other which unlocks another step that not many other teams have. That’s all what I have to say for now.”
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