Piastri calls Norris move 'not fair' as Russell takes the checkered flag
Friction between championship competitors Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reached a new high as their McLaren team clinched the constructors' championship at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Norris made contact with Piastri while overtaking at the first corner at the commencement of the race, leading the driver from Australia to state it was "not fair" the team did not ask them to swap places.
Race Drama Overshadows Constructors' Triumph
The incident that is bound to create problems at McLaren occurred when Norris moved aggressively the inner line of Piastri after getting away well from fifth on the grid.
Norris was surprised by Verstappen slowing more than he anticipated in the middle of Turn Three.
Norris touched the Red Bull, damaging the McLaren's nose section, and that bounced him side-on into Piastri, whose pace was checked, allowing Norris to move ahead into P3.
Driver Communications Reveal Increasing Friction
Piastri said over the radio: "That didn't feel like teamwork, but sure."
Shortly afterwards, he added: "Is it acceptable that Lando just pushing me out of the way?"
His engineer responded that the team were "looking at it", before following up to tell Piastri that they would take "no immediate measures" in the race because "Norris needed to evade Verstappen" and that they would "analyze it afterwards".
Championship Implications
- Piastri's points advantage over Norris was reduced to twenty-two points with half a dozen events remaining
- Verstappen has also gained ground and is 63 adrift of the lead
- McLaren secured their second consecutive constructors' title
Event Overview
George Russell controlled the race at the front on his way to a commanding victory, very much in the style of his victory in Canada back in June.
Verstappen chose to start the race on softer compound rather than the medium compound on most other cars in the leading group, but the strategy did not prove successful and Russell comfortably maintained the first position at the beginning before building a comfortable lead.
"The track conditions were challenging, but that's motorsport. I put it on the inside, had a small correction but nothing more than that. It was good racing." - Lando Norris
Midfield Battle
Mercedes' rookie Kimi Antonelli took fifth place, passing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the fifty-fourth lap as the Ferrari faded, and then holding off Lewis Hamilton in the final stages.
Fernando Alonso drove an excellent race to take P8 as the best midfield runner.
The Spanish driver and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar engaged in close combat in the opening stages, Alonso overtaking Hadjar into the initial turn to take P8, before the driver from France regained the position later in the lap, only for Alonso to pass again on the third circuit.
