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Oscar Piastri has stated that no “big decisions” had to be made at McLaren in response to his clash with team-mate Lando Norris in Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix.
The two McLarens came to blows in the closing stages at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when Norris ran into Piastri as he drove into a closing gap on the main straight.
Piastri continued through until the end as his McLaren survived the touch, but Norris was resigned to a premature retirement as his MCL39 incurred terminal damage.
Norris shouldered the immediate blame as he quickly apologised to his team and Piastri, a reaction the Australian and McLaren boss Andrea Stella both commended.
Piastri has insisted that his relationship with Norris has remained unperturbed, the duo having quashed the matter en route to discussing the crash with the stewards.
Asked how the discussion was, Piastri told media including Motorsport Week: “It was fine. Half of it was on the way to the stewards room, so that was fun.
“We spoke about it honestly before we even got back to the team. Lando put his hands up and apologised, so all good and looking forward to going racing again.”
Piastri believes the mutual recognition within McLaren that an incident would occur at some stage helped the team to be prepared once it did materialise in Montreal.
“I think obviously the first rule, regardless of whether it’s written down or not, is that the two cars from the same team don’t crash,” he added.
“So, I think that’s obviously the big thing. But I think in Canada, I think what we’ve done well this year before Canada is acknowledging that it’s a possibility.
“And I think we’ve dealt with it very well in Canada and since Canada. I think what we’re doing and the way we’re going about things is the correct approach.
“It’s obviously a difficult one to navigate, but that’s a good problem to have in some ways.
“So, I think what we’ve been doing is good and just a fair opportunity is what we both ask for.”
Canada incident ‘no surprise’ but Piastri confirmed McLaren is ‘united’
Piastri dismissed any suggestion that the team’s approach, and therefore the narrative of the championship race, might have been altered, saying it was business as usual.
“Nope, same as always,” he confirmed. “Obviously, what happened in Canada wasn’t ideal, but we’re still free to race, still fighting for a championship each, so nope, keep going racing and make sure that obviously we don’t come into contact again.”
Stella also admitted post-Canada that the incident was always a likelihood, saying “we said a few times that it wasn’t a matter of if, it was more a matter of when.”
Piastri concluded that the tight-knit operation of McLaren ensured the situation was quickly nipped in the bud, saying:
“I think also just the incident in Canada didn’t warrant any big discussions or big decisions.
“I think it was a misjudgement from Lando that he admitted to and apologised for immediately. I don’t think it needed anything else.
“We knew going into this year it was probably going to be a close fight between Lando and I with the championship at stake.
“So it’s no surprise to anyone that we’re kind of in this scenario now.
“I think ultimately just trying to make yourself as fast as possible, do the right things, that’s all you can do.
“And I’ve said it multiple times before but Lando and I don’t just want one opportunity this year to win a championship. We want this to go on for as long as we’re in Formula 1.
“And I think the headline a few weeks ago was it’s not wise to fight for a championship or win a championship and bring the house down with it.
“So I think that’s still very much at the forefront of our minds. And we want this success for years to come. And having the team united is a very simple way of doing that.”
READ MORE – The two areas Lando Norris hopes to improve on in F1 title fight
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