Oscar Piastri has praised McLaren team-mate Lando Norris for his honesty and character after the pair collided late in the 2025 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
Starting from third on the grid, the Australian lost a place to Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the race start, dropping down to fourth place.
Towards the end of the Grand Prix, after completing his two-stop strategy, Piastri found himself closing on the Italian rookie, but with Norris looming larger in his mirrors.
On Lap 66, the chaos unfolded when the British driver lunged down the inside of his fellow papaya competitor at the hairpin.
Side-by-side down the straight, Piastri out-braked Norris, but the latter gained a strong run and attempted to pass the championship leader on the inside once more.
This time, it ended in tears — Norris lost his front wing, slammed into the wall, and was forced to retire, while Piastri crossed the line in fourth.
Norris immediately apologised over team radio and later in the media pen, a welcome admission to the 24-year-old.
When asked if it was encouraging to see his team-mate take accountability so quickly, Piastri praised Norris’ character and honesty.
“Yeah, definitely, I mean, I think Lando is a very good guy, and I think it’s in his character and in his personality to say exactly what he thinks,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“If that’s detrimental to himself, or if it’s about himself, then it doesn’t matter for him.
“And I think that’s a great quality of Lando, so I think it is a good quality.
“I think it’s good for the whole team going forwards, that we can have these conversations and go racing like this and have things not go the way we want and get through them. So, yeah, that’s all.”
Piastri dismisses fallout fears after Norris collision
By scoring 12 points in Montreal, Piastri extended his championship lead over Norris to 22 points with the collision.
However, he was clear that the high-speed incident would not impact their relationship or how they race each other going forward.
“Everything will stay the same, he added. “If it had been a crash in a corner and clearly we got it wrong and too aggressive, then that’s one thing.
“But it was a bit of an unfortunate incident, really, on a straight, effectively.
“So, for me, I don’t think it will change anything, and I think that’s the way it should be, because ultimately we’re both trying to fight for a world championship.”
Reflecting on the crash itself, Piastri admitted he was still unsure about how exactly the incident unfolded.
He said: “I mean, I honestly haven’t seen what happened. I obviously felt a bit of a touch, but an unusual place to have an incident, so I still need to have a look.
“Lando apologised to me, so I guess that says a little bit, but I honestly haven’t seen [it back].”
READ MORE – Lando Norris admits ‘foolish’ Canada F1 clash with Oscar Piastri will ‘stay with me’
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