Why driver apologies won't fix McLaren clash

McLaren boss Andrea Stella is not interested in apologies from his drivers over their “unacceptable” collision in the Singapore Grand Prix sprint race, with post-weekend talks planned to address what he thinks is a “serious” situation.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri clashed on the final lap of Saturday’s sprint as they battled for fourth place behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Norris had made a move down the inside of Piastri at Turn 5, with the Australian feeling he had left enough room for them both to get through the turn.

However, they touched wheels in a crash that stewards deemed to be a racing incident because they felt neither driver was predominantly to blame.

Piastri was spun into the wall and retired, while Norris was able to get going again to come home eighth – taking a single point.

The incident upset Stella who, in the team’s post-qualifying press release, labelled throwing away fourth and fifth place like that as “unacceptable.” 

His annoyance was evident when he spoke in the Singapore paddock on Saturday evening.

What irritated him was not just the loss of points that could have an impact on McLaren’s finishing position in the constructors’ championship, but that the drivers had put themselves in a situation where their interests were put ahead of the team.

“It is serious,” said Stella when asked by The Race about how big a situation this was for the team. “It is serious because the damage for the team is material.

“We are in a close fight in the championship. We had the ambition to challenge Ferrari and this is a problem in the challenge to the second position. We have an ambition to finish ahead of Red Bull and this is a problem to finish ahead of Red Bull.

“It is also serious because we come from a few seasons in which we have reflected together, team and drivers, as to how we approach racing together and how we make sure that the interest of the team is protected.”

While Stella spoke to both drivers following the incident, and has vowed to make sure the message is rammed home that they must avoid repeat trouble in the Singapore GP race, it is understood further talks are planned for the gap before the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

Although Norris apologised for his part in the crash because he was the one who instigated the move, Stella thinks the matter goes beyond just saying sorry.

“The aspect of apologies, the fault of one driver, that's not the perspective I have and that's not the perspective I want from the drivers,” he said.

“I want the drivers to take the perspective, and the reflection around this, in how together we are going to pursue, protect, and promote the interest of the team. This is the assignment. I'm not looking forward for any apologies.

“I know the drivers, they are two excellent human beings. But here is business. And as a business, I want to know, and that's the reflection that I want to keep developing, how do we work together to make sure that this does not happen anymore?

“And even more, if possible, the collaboration of the two drivers delivers the best result in the interest of the team.”

While Norris was sorry for what happened, he told media after qualifying that he felt he had the right to gun for the pass of Piastri.

“The gap closed a bit more than I would have liked and obviously I've had to back out of it because the gap was closing,” he told ViaPlay.

“So I've had to try and avoid the incident and obviously there still was one. But it was a big gap so I went for it, I have the right to do that. The rest we go review as a team."

Piastri suggested that the whole situation was unnecessary as the team was on course for a decent points haul.

 “The biggest thing obviously is we just can't have that happen in terms of the points and also the workload and money,” he explained.

“It just wasn't a situation that needed to happen really, so Lando apologised and we moved on.

“Unfortunately it's not our first coming together. I think we're both very good at saying sorry when we need to and moving on, and I think that's what makes us strong as a team.”

McLaren has shown that it is not afraid to take action against drivers in the event of a collision.

After last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, where Norris was judged to have been at fault in a clash with Piastri, the team dished out consequences for Norris in terms of their running order in qualifying for the following race in Austin.

However, that sanction was rolled back almost immediately after Piastri caused a crash at the first corner of the sprint race in Austin.