October 17, 2025

The McLaren duo is back in the spotlight after a fiery start to the Singapore Grand Prix. Lando Norris, who finished third, has openly accepted the blame for bumping into his teammate Oscar Piastri just as the race began two weeks ago. This aggressive move helped Norris grab the early lead and eventually finish ahead of Piastri, tightening the driver’s championship race. Now, Piastri leads Norris by only 22 points, with six grand prix and three sprint races left to roar through the season. What exactly "responsibility" and "consequences" mean for Norris remains secret, but both racers promise the legendary "papaya rules" of racing will stay put as the team heads into the United States Grand Prix this weekend. Piastri was clear at the Circuit of the Americas, "We're very clear on how we want to go racing as a team. And the incident we had in Singapore isn't how we want to go racing." During the Singapore race, Piastri grumbled over team radio that the team wasn’t "fair" to him because they didn’t order Norris to swap positions, unlike past occasions when Piastri had to let Norris pass. This has sparked questions if the high-stakes title chase between teammates is starting to rattle the tight McLaren family, despite their recent triumph as constructor champions. Both drivers are chasing their very first Formula 1 driver’s championship. Norris admits, "The simple answer is that there was contact between the two cars and that's something which we always want to avoid. I didn't want what happened to happen. But I'm never going to let go of an opportunity. There was a gap and I went for it... But nothing changes from how we go racing." He rejects rumors of a rift like the bitter battles once seen between Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2015 and 2016. He hailed team boss Andrea Stella’s brilliant leadership for keeping team spirit strong. "I don't know what's happened to other teams in the past and what Lewis and Rosberg had, but Andrea's No. 1 priority is preserving the morale, and the framework that we set out," Norris said. Piastri has scored seven wins this season—two more than Norris—but neither has topped the podium in the last three races. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is charging hard, with two victories and a second-place finish recently, threatening to steal the championship spotlight. Asked if the team should back him as the lead to finish the title fight, Piastri said, "No. I think every driver wants a fair chance to try and win a championship. For me, it's more than fair to let us both keep fighting for that." Adding to the drama, the upcoming Texas races are declared "heat hazard" events by the FIA due to scorching temperatures rising above 88°F (31°C). This means drivers can use special cooling vests to beat the heat during the sprint on Saturday and the main event on Sunday. These vests pump cool fluid through tubes and have helped racers like Mercedes' George Russell stay fresh under the blazing sun. Verstappen went without one in Singapore but still finished second. With fiery wheels and even hotter tempers, the battle for the F1 crown is on—and McLaren’s two stars are ready for the race of their lives this weekend!

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Tags: Mclaren, Lando norris, Oscar piastri, Formula 1, Singapore grand prix, Team rivalry,