Collision at the start, ranting on the radio: Why there is a rift between world championship leader Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and McLaren is facing a test of endurance in Formula 1.
07.10.2025, 20:21
dpa
The race for the first Formula 1 drivers' title in 17 years is increasingly becoming a balancing act for team world champion McLaren. Even before the subdued party in Singapore to celebrate another constructors' triumph, team boss Andrea Stella prescribed talk therapy for his drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who had become heated after the collision at the start. "We'll see if we can learn something and sharpen up. These will be good discussions," said Stella.
However, the atmosphere is very tense six races before the end of the season. A video showed championship leader Piastri turning off the radio and getting out of the car during team boss Zak Brown's acceptance speech. McLaren hastily announced that the Australian had turned off his car beforehand and had therefore not heard Brown's words. But by then the debates about the disturbed team harmony had long since gathered pace.
"The main thing is that the two cars collided. We never want that to happen, so we have to look at it in detail," warned Piastri. The scene of the incident occurred shortly after the start, when Norris first touched the Red Bull of world champion Max Verstappen during a hard overtaking attempt and then touched Piastri's car.
Ranting on the radio
"Anyone in the field would have done the same thing," Norris defiantly replied to the probing questions afterwards, adding: "So anyone who accuses me of putting the car in a big gap shouldn't be in Formula 1." Piastri saw it differently and had already made this clear during the race by ranting on the radio. "It's simply not fair," the 24-year-old told the command post.
Norris, however, did not have to give third place back to Piastri and thus moved three points closer to his fourth-placed rival in the overall standings to 22 points. The fact that defending champion Verstappen finished second in Singapore after two wins in Monza and Baku, again ahead of both McLaren, further fueled the title race.
The discussion about the starting incident hits the racing team at a sensitive point: its "papaya rules", named after the team color. According to these rules, the drivers should be allowed to fight freely for victories as long as they do not get in each other's way unfairly.
The McLaren management has already intervened twice this year, both times in Norris' favor. In Hungary, he overtook Piastri thanks to a change in pit strategy and won. In Monza, Piastri had to let his colleague pass him again after the pit crew messed up Norris' tire change. The fact that Norris was not whistled back in Singapore obviously puts a strain on Piastri's confidence in internal equal treatment.
This burden is only likely to fuel the rumor that Piastri is in talks with other teams - including Ferrari. However, the Australian still has a multi-year contract with McLaren.
Crisis of form weighs on McLaren
"Oscar is showing more nerves, he is more thin-skinned," said Sky expert Ralf Schumacher. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff praised the McLaren management for their handling of the drivers' duel so far, but also stated: "There will be a situation in which it will come down to a few points. And then you start to do the math and count back, and I suspect that the elbows will be used a little more, and then it will get interesting."
Now, of all times, McLaren is also struggling with a form crisis. There has been no victory for three races and the competition has caught up. In view of the major rule reform next year, McLaren has almost stopped development work on the current car, while others such as Red Bull have brought new components to Singapore. In addition, as team champions, McLaren are allowed to spend the least amount of time in the wind tunnel according to the rules.
The final weeks of the season could therefore become the ultimate test of the "papaya rules" for the industry leader. "We have to be very precise because there is a lot at stake. Not just championship points, but the confidence of our drivers in the way we work as a team. And that is more fundamental than the points," emphasized Team Principal Stella.
Alonso annoyed by Hamilton
At the finish in Singapore, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso vented his frustration over the radio: "I can't fucking believe it," the 44-year-old repeated several times.
The rant was directed at his eternal rival Lewis Hamilton of all people. The Briton struggled with the brakes on the last few laps and left Alonso just behind him by unfair means - he drove through the chicane.
The Spaniard asked on the radio whether it was legal to drive with defective brakes. The race stewards provided the answer immediately after the race and handed Hamilton a five-second penalty for leaving the track. Alonso inherited seventh place and the Briton had to settle for eighth.
Hamilton reacted mockingly to his former McLaren team-mate's outburst. The seven-time world champion published a story on his Instagram profile with a clip from the British sitcom "One Foot in the Grave", in which the main character Victor Meldrew repeats the phrase "I don't believe it" several times. With the caption "For 18 years ...", the 40-year-old testifies to the long rivalry between the two.
TV direction draws displeasure from fans
The spectators watching on TV did not see anything of the duel between Alonso and Hamilton. The directors preferred to concentrate on the duel for third place between Verstappen and Norris. Fans were shown in the stands as the two crossed the finish line.
This led to criticism on social media. "The TV directors prioritized the fans in the grandstands over the duel with Hamilton, who tried to leave Alonso behind without braking," wrote one user on X.
Many other users were annoyed that the drivers' partners were shown several times during the race instead of the action on the track. As a result, viewers barely got to see Williams driver Carlos Sainz' race to catch up from 18th on the grid to 10th place at the end of the race.
