News Summary
- Lando Norris defended his attempt to overtake Oscar Piastri during the final lap of the Singapore GP sprint.
- The McLaren drivers collided while fighting for fourth, with Piastri retiring and Norris finishing eighth.
- Norris said the gap narrowed more than expected and confirmed that McLaren will review the incident internally.
Lando Norris has defended his attempted overtake on McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri during the final lap of the Singapore GP sprint, insisting “I have the right to do that” after the contact sent the Australian spinning out of the race at Marina Bay.
The incident occurred as the two drivers battled for fourth position in the closing stages of Saturday’s rain-affected sprint. Norris attempted to pass Piastri, but the gap narrowed and the McLarens made contact, ending Piastri’s race and leaving Norris eighth.
Speaking after the race, Norris maintained that he had seen a clear opportunity to gain the position.
Norris insists he had the right to attack Piastri
“There was a big opportunity into 5, so I went for it,” Norris said. “The gap closed a bit more than I would have liked…
“But it was a big gap, so I went for it. I have the right to do that. The rest we review as a team.”
The collision occurred during the final lap, when both McLaren drivers were running behind Charles Leclerc and ahead of Kimi Antonelli.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported immediately after the incident, Piastri was unable to continue, while Norris dropped to eighth and collected one championship point.
The contact came at the end of a difficult race for McLaren, with Max Verstappen winning ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc.
McLaren scored only one point in the sprint, allowing Red Bull to close to within 11 points in the Constructors’ Championship.
The complete Singapore sprint results are available in GRANDE PRÊMIO, along with the Singapore GP weekend schedule. GRANDE PRÊMIO follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.
