Norris vows 'better decisions' as McLaren closes the book on Singapore sprint clash
McLaren has held further talks with Lando Norris about his collision with team-mate Oscar Piastri in the Singapore sprint and considers the matter closed. Norris says he takes responsibility and wants to make better decisions as the team heads to Austin.
A clash McLaren says it has put behind it
McLaren arrives in Austin with a question it has been trying to answer for more than a week: can its two drivers race each other without costing the team points? According to Autosport and Crash.net, the team now regards the collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the Singapore sprint as settled after another round of internal talks.
What was said
Norris took responsibility in McLaren's preview for the United States Grand Prix, saying: "I take responsibility for my mistakes, and I learn from them." He added that he wants to make better decisions as a way of repaying the work the team puts in.
Autosport reports that team principal Andrea Stella had said further discussions would take place at McLaren's Woking base, and that these happened in the week before the report. Autosport also says the clash came on the final lap while the two were fighting over fourth place, that Piastri retired, and that Norris finished eighth. Crash.net describes Norris making a late move at Turn 5 that spun Piastri, followed by clear-the-air talks with both drivers after a strong reaction from team CEO Zak Brown. Crash.net adds that Norris repeatedly asked his team in the main race whether he could help Piastri regain a place.
The wider picture
The incident came at the end of a difficult Asian triple-header for McLaren, which has not been able to match Red Bull's recent form. Autosport says McLaren is bringing what chief designer Rob Marshall called a modest selection of upgrades to Austin, aimed at braking reliability and performance.
By the numbers
Our race data shows how the two drivers stand after 17 of 23 rounds. Norris is sixth in the drivers' championship with 201 points, two wins and five podiums. Piastri is seventh with 138 points and two podiums, but no win this season. Together they have scored 339 points for McLaren.
The United States Grand Prix starts at 20:00 UTC on Sunday 25 October, the first chance to see whether the talks have changed anything on track.
