Lando Norris has issued a heartfelt apology to McLaren after colliding with teammate Oscar Piastri during their battle for fourth place at the Canadian Grand Prix. The incident occurred in the closing stages of the Montreal race when Norris inadvertently clipped the rear of Piastri's car.
The contact immediately ended Norris's race whilst Piastri managed to continue and secure valuable championship points. The British driver was visibly dejected following the incident, acknowledging his error without hesitation.
"Rule number one is to not make contact with your teammate, and that's what I did," Norris told reporters in the paddock after the race.
The 24-year-old driver was unequivocal in accepting blame for the collision: "McLaren is my family and I race for them every single weekend and try and do well for them on and off the track, and do well for myself.
Lando Norris took full responsibility for the incident at the Canadian Grand Prix
PA"So when I let them down like this and make a fool of myself like I did today, I have a lot of regret. I'm not proud of myself, I feel bad and I've let down the team. So apologies to all of them."
Norris emphasised that his teammate bore no responsibility for the incident. "Oscar did nothing wrong here, just myself. I've let down the team, so that's going to stay with me for a little while."
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The collision's championship implications were significant, with Piastri's finish extending his advantage over Norris from 10 to 22 points. Despite the incident, the Australian driver responded graciously to his teammate's apology.
"Lando is a very good guy and it is in his character and personality to say what he thinks, even if that is detrimental to himself," Piastri said. "This a great quality for Lando.
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Lando Norris was out of the race immediately following the contact
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"It is good for the team going forward that we can have these conversations and race like this and have things not go the way we want and get through them."
The championship leader stressed the incident wouldn't affect their racing relationship: "Everything will stay the same."
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Piastri characterised the collision as "an unfortunate incident on a straight effectively" and insisted "it will not change anything and that is how it should be because we are both fighting for a world championship."
Looking ahead, Norris admitted his apprehension about returning to McLaren's Technology Centre in Woking.
"We go back to the factory and I go and say hello to the whole team and I'm sure that's not going to be a nice moment for me, because of something like today," he said.
Oscar Piastri did not 'think there were any bad intentions involved' after the crashReutersDespite the setback, Norris remained focused on the championship battle. "There's plenty more races left. I don't expect it to be easy. I don't expect to catch him easy, but I have to work hard for it and make less mistakes than I did this weekend."
Norris will have his opportunity to bounce back in two weeks when the teams will go again at the Austrian Grand Prix, a track he has historically had great pace at.
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