Oscar Piastri says he and McLaren teammate Lando Norris will go into next week’s Mexican Grand Prix with a “clean slate” after an internal penalty placed on Norris was removed.
Norris was penalised by McLaren earlier this month for a collision with Piastri at the Singapore Grand Prix, after which the Australian driver was heard on radio saying, “That wasn’t very teamlike”, and, “So are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?’”
Norris later admitted he had been handed “repercussions” until the end of the season. Sky Sports reported that the McLaren penalty was to give Piastri priority in every remaining qualifier.
But Piastri revealed the sanction against his teammate had been lifted after admitting he was at fault when his car collided with Norris during last Saturday’s US Grand Prix sprint race.
“I think there is a degree of responsibility from my side in the sprint, and we’re starting this weekend with a clean slate for both of us, so [we’re] just going out and racing and see who can come out on top,” Piastri told Formula 1.com on Friday.
When asked whether Norris’ penalty had been removed because he had accepted responsibility for the collision, Piastri said “yes, the consequences on Lando’s side have been removed, and yes, ultimately it was that. There were a lot of factors involved, but ultimately that’s what’s been decided.”
Race winner Lando Norris and second placed Oscar Piastri on the podium at the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix.Credit: Getty
Piastri added that reviewing such incidents was typical.
“We’ve gone through it again – we go through every weekend, regardless of what’s happened.”
Although Piastri remains 14 points clear at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings, the gap at the top is narrowing after Max Verstappen’s victory in the US.
Neither McLaren driver finished the sprint race, which was claimed by Verstappen for the third year in a row. The Red Bull driver qualified in pole for the main race he would go on to win, with Norris finishing in second and Piastri in fifth.
Many are blaming McLaren’s “Papaya Rules”, which give both drivers the chance to compete fairly for the title without intervention, for giving Verstappen the chance to get ahead.
But Piastri rejected the idea that the team’s approach was harming his chances of winning the Drivers’ Championship.
“For us, it’s pretty clear what those rules are, which is, ‘Don’t crash into each other’,” he said. “But I think regardless of what scenario you’re in, that’s how you’re expected to race as teammates. So I don’t think that adds any pressure into the scenario.”
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