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The McLaren driver issued a resolute response to the criticisms from his fellow driver Piastri following their contact at the Singapore Grand Prix, asserting that any competitor who would avoid a comparable passing move should not race in Formula One.

Race Incident Sparks Internal Conflict

The Grand Prix at the Marina Bay circuit was claimed by Russell, however was defined by the contact during the opening corners, when Lando Norris went after Piastri then bumped with Piastri following Norris had clipped the Red Bull of Verstappen ahead.

Any driver on the grid would have attempted the very same thing as I did, so if you blame me for simply going on the inside of an opening then you should not race in Formula One,” he said. “There was nothing wrong with my move.”

Title Fight Heats Up

Norris and Piastri are engaged in a direct fight to win the drivers’ world championship, after the team winning the constructors’ championship at the Singapore GP. Both drivers finished third and fourth, with Norris narrowed the gap on his title rival to 22 points with six meetings remaining.

Piastri was angry in the moment, decrying it as unfair for the team did not step in to have Norris give back the position since he argued Norris had pushed Piastri out of the way. Nonetheless, race officials did not intervene.

Driver's Explanation

“I misjudged slightly the proximity I was near Max, however that's part of racing and I would have ended up in front of Piastri regardless,” said Norris. I took the inside line and the last thing I intended to do was to collide with my teammate. With the [championship] position I'm in, I can't risk such a move compared to Piastri. The FIA deemed it acceptable and McLaren did so too.”

Piastri's Response

Piastri commented he wouldn't judge yet till McLaren held a debriefing. “I need to look at the video and in more detail and form my judgment after that,” he said. “It is lap one, tensions are high and we are encouraged to express our opinions about the incident. I did that and it will be discussed moving forward.”

Team Principal's Viewpoint

The McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also maintained the team would take under consideration their approach for handling their drivers. “We have to put everything in perspective. These are the remarks from a driver in a Formula One car, there’s the heat of competition. The information that is available is just his perspective. As usual we'll hold a good conversation, move forward and emerge stronger.”