McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have stated that their team`s internal `rules of engagement` remain unchanged, following constructive discussions about their collision during the recent Canadian Grand Prix.
Norris, who trails Piastri by 22 points in the Drivers` Championship standings heading into this weekend`s Austrian Grand Prix, retired from the Montreal race after making contact with the rear of his teammate`s car.
Team Principal Andrea Stella had previously expressed a desire for `better judgment` from his drivers following the incident.
Norris commented, “There`s been a good understanding of everything, realising my thoughts and understanding things from both my side and explaining that to the team. I think I made it clear from the immediate moment that I misjudged it and I took the fault from it. Of course, it was not the most joyful conversations, but conversations that needed to be had clearly because it`s not just about myself, it`s how we perform as a team. We all know what rule number one was and continues and always will be.”
“Many things have come out stronger than they were prior to Canada, which you might not expect. Through unfortunate circumstances a lot has been learned a lot of things have turned into being stronger.”
Jenson Button believes Lando Norris will be able to mentally move past the Oscar Piastri crash
Piastri, whose streak of eight consecutive podium finishes ended with a fourth-place finish in Montreal, affirmed that he and Norris are “still free to race” and will “make sure” they avoid another collision.
“I don`t think it will change anything. For me, I certainly won`t do anything different,” he added. “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.”
Watch from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri`s 360-degree onboard camera as Norris crashed into his McLaren team-mate during the Canada Grand Prix
Martin Brundle believes Lando Norris still has a great chance to win the Drivers` Championship, but must perform every weekend
Norris accepted responsibility for the incident immediately, believing his accountability “set a good example” for the McLaren team.
“My team means everything to me, the people that I`ve grown up with, the people who have given me opportunity in Formula 1, and I want to win with McLaren,” he continued. “Because it was with my team-mate was the most painful thing for me because it`s the last thing I want. I felt bad, very bad for the team. A tough couple of days but it`s something I got better at dealing with, speaking to Andrea and Zak [Brown], and the team, to move on as quickly as possible was very important.”
Oscar Piastri revealed ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix that everything is all good with Lando Norris after his team-mate apologised after colliding in Canada.
McLaren Eye Austrian Performance After Canada Challenges
Even without the collision, both Piastri and Norris finished off the podium in Canada, marking the first time this season a McLaren driver was not in the top three. Norris noted that “some of our main competitors have caught up” in warm conditions, similar to the forecast for the Austrian Grand Prix.
“Austria has been one of our best tracks in the past, but it`s also been a very good one for Red Bull and for Max,” said Norris, recalling his maiden F1 podium finish at Spielberg. “They have an advantage on us in high-speed corners, which there are a good amount of here, so we expect to be good, but maybe struggle a little bit in qualifying, comparing to some of our competitors.”
Reigning F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling believes Lando Norris` move on McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri was `desperate` but he showed maturity in taking accountability right away
Piastri and Norris used different front suspensions in Montreal, with Piastri opting for the older specification. While Ferrari and Red Bull have confirmed upgrades for Austria, McLaren, currently leading the Constructors` Championship, will also introduce new parts.
“We got taken by surprise a little bit that we weren`t as strong as we hoped in Canada, but hopefully it`s a one-off,” said Piastri. “By the time we got to qualifying, I think we were in a better place and in the race, our pace was actually not bad, just we qualified a bit further back. I think we kind of understand what went wrong in Canada. So, we`ll try and have a better weekend here, but I`m confident we`ll be back on top form.”
He added, “We do have some new parts, yes. I think some bits at the front of the car, and hopefully it makes us quicker. That`s normally the plan.”
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the Austrian Grand Prix
Austrian GP Schedule Preview
Friday June 27
8.50am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: Austrian GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.35pm: Austrian GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday June 28
9am: F3 Sprint
11.15pm: Austrian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: AUSTRIAN GP QUALIFYING
5pm: Ted`s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 29
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up
2pm: THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction
5pm: Ted`s Notebook
