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McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella expressed his bitter disappointment following a collision between teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during the Singapore Grand Prix sprint race.
On the final lap of the sprint, Norris launched a risky move down the inside at Turn 5. The British driver was unable to back out in time as the racing line tightened, clipping the right-rear corner of his teammate's car.
The contact sent both cars into a spin. Piastri was forced to retire with heavy rear damage to his MCL40, while Norris rejoined the track to cross the line down in eighth. The stewards summoned both drivers after the race but decided against penalties, concluding that both shared responsibility and neither was wholly or predominantly to blame.
Nevertheless, the incident dealt a severe blow to McLaren. Mechanics faced an urgent gearbox change and extensive repairs on the Australian's car, triggering significant costs alongside a painful loss of championship points.
The clash follows a string of high-tension moments during the 2025 season, which had already prompted the team to enforce stricter internal racing guidelines, known as the "Papaya Rules." Speaking to Sky Sports, Stella did not hide his anger:
"Seeing two McLaren cars collide like that is completely unacceptable. We will address this with the drivers behind closed doors. We must reiterate that the team's best interest comes before anything else. There is no room for ego—no single individual stands above McLaren's objectives in Formula 1."
Piastri revealed that Norris had apologized to both him and the wider crew, while the Australian maintained a diplomatic stance in front of the media.
"The bottom line is that we cannot afford these kinds of mistakes given the points at stake, the extra workload for the mechanics, and the financial cost. It was a completely unnecessary incident. Lando apologized and we move forward. Unfortunately, this isn't our first on-track contact, but we both know how to hold our hands up, which is what makes us a strong team," Piastri stated.
Norris echoed the stewards' assessment that both drivers could have done more to prevent the crash. "Naturally, no one is happy—neither Oscar nor myself. Neither of us wanted it to end this way. We both could have handled the situation better. We've talked it through and are looking ahead to the upcoming races," the Briton commented.
Asked about the stewards' verdict that he also played a part in the clash, the Australian driver added: "I don't think I crossed any lines, but on the other hand, it makes no sense for us to try and get each other penalized."
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