Piastri calls Norris move 'unjust' as Russell takes the checkered flag
Friction between title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri escalated significantly as their racing outfit secured 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, prompting the driver from Australia to claim it was "unjust" the team did not ask them to reverse positions.
Race Drama Mars Team Celebration
The controversial moment that is bound to create issues at McLaren occurred when Norris moved aggressively the inner line of Piastri after making a good start from P5 on the grid.
Norris was surprised by Verstappen slowing more than he expected in the apex of Turn Three.
Norris made contact with the Red Bull, compromising the McLaren's front wing endplate, and that bounced him sideways into Piastri, whose pace was disrupted, enabling Norris to move ahead into P3.
Team Radio Show Increasing Friction
Piastri said over the radio: "That didn't feel like teamwork, but sure."
Shortly afterwards, he continued: "Is it acceptable that Lando just pushing me out of the way?"
His engineer replied that the team were "reviewing the situation", before following up to tell Piastri that they would take "no action" in the race because "Lando had to avoid Verstappen" and that they would "analyze it afterwards".
Title Race Impact
- Piastri's championship lead over Norris was reduced to 22 points with six races remaining
- Verstappen has also closed in and is 63 adrift of the championship lead
- McLaren won their back-to-back constructors' title
Race Summary
George Russell dominated the race at the lead 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 soft tyres rather than the medium compound on most other cars in the leading group, but the choice did not pay off and Russell comfortably maintained the lead at the beginning before building a significant advantage.
"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 hard but fair competition." - Lando Norris
Midfield Battle
Mercedes' newcomer Kimi Antonelli took fifth place, overtaking Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the fifty-fourth lap as the Ferrari faded, and then defending against Lewis Hamilton in the final stages.
Fernando Alonso delivered a strong performance to take eighth as the best midfield runner.
The Spaniard and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar fought a brief battle in the first three laps, Alonso overtaking Hadjar into the first corner to take P8, before the Frenchman regained the position later in the lap, only for Alonso to retake the position on the third circuit.
