The incident, which occurred on the opening lap at Turn 2, saw Norris attempt a move down the inside of Piastri before clipping Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, which sent the Briton into Piastri’s McLaren.
While both cars escaped damage and went on to finish third and fourth respectively, the moment caused tension within the garage and prompted McLaren to conduct an internal review ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
Speaking to media in Austin, Norris said he accepted the team’s findings and believed McLaren’s decision to hold him responsible was fair.
“Of course, there were talks. That was inevitable,” Norris said.
“The team held me accountable for what happened, which I think is fair.
Here’s how the race start panned out! ▶️👀#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/LNtqGzwSML
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 5, 2025
“Then we made progress from there on understanding what the repercussions were for myself and to avoid something… let’s say definitely avoid anything worse happening than what did.”
Norris, who trails championship leader Piastri by 22 points heading into Austin, added that his intention was never to create controversy or risk an intra-team fallout.
“The last thing I want is something like that to happen to cause these kinds of controversial talks after a race,” he said.
“At the same time, I put just as much risk on me putting myself out of the race as I do whoever I’m racing against, whether it’s Oscar or anyone else. So it’s clearly something I want to avoid.”
He emphasised that McLaren’s strength lies in the trust and transparency between its drivers and leadership, crediting team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown for maintaining open communication and balance within the team.
“One thing we’ve done well as a team is using and progressing the framework that we have to allow both of us to trust each other and the team, and that’s why we’re a stronger team than anyone else,” Norris added.
While he declined to elaborate on the “consequences” he has faced, Norris accepted that the team was right to take a stance, even if the contact was minor.
“The rule is not to crash into each other,” he explained.
“This wasn’t a crash; it was something much smaller, but we still don’t even want to get to that point, because it causes these types of things, and that is never good.
“There was a gap, I went for it, and what happened, happened.”
Piastri, meanwhile, said the aftermath of Singapore led to “very productive” discussions within McLaren and that both drivers were aligned on how to race going forward.
“We’re very clear on how we want to go racing as a team, and that includes going forward – and the incident we had in Singapore isn’t how we want to go racing,” Piastri said.
“Lando has taken responsibility for that, and so has the team.”
The Australian praised McLaren’s handling of the situation, saying it reinforced the equality and clarity within the team.
“I’m very happy that there’s no favouritism or bias,” Piastri said.
“Ultimately, we know how we’re expected to go racing, and if we don’t do that, there’s consequences for that.
“I don’t think what happened was purposeful. I think it was just a slight misjudgement.”
Despite external speculation about possible “Papaya Rules” governing McLaren’s approach to on-track battles, Norris insisted that the team’s framework is built on mutual respect rather than strict directives.
“Internally, it’s pretty simple,” Norris said.
“People like to talk about it a lot and bring it up and say it’s this and that. It’s quite a small amount of things and it’s very simple.
“Like Andrea says, we still always have the right to question it. But I think our approach is better than other people’s.”
2025 F1 United States Grand Prix – Schedule, how to watch, TV times & more
Discussion about this post