McLaren boss Andrea Stella has said that Lando Norris will have to “show his character” in dealing with the incident with team-mate Oscar Piastri that put him out of Formula 1‘s Canadian Grand Prix.
The two McLarens came together on Lap 67 as Norris attempted to make an ambitious move on Piastri on the start-finish straight going into Turn 1.
Norris made contact with the rear end of Piastri’s car, taking the front of his car off, and skidding into the pit wall, ending his involvement in the race.
The Briton made a full and frank apolgoy to Piastri immediately, as well as conveying his remorse to the team, with Stella admitting: “it wasn’t a matter of if, it was more a matter of when.”
When asked if the incident more perhaps damage Norris psychologically, Stella said the team would fully back their man.
“Well, obviously it’s an episode which cost him a championship point,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “It’s an episode for his own admission.
“He said the principle was clear, ‘I just made a misjudgement’, so he never came to say, ‘let’s talk about it’. So this may have an impact in terms of his confidence. But it’s up to us as a team to show our full support to Lando, and on this one I want to be completely clear, it’s full support to Lando.”
Norris must ‘take the learnings’
Stella reiterated that there will be “conversations” in the team about the incident and how to ensure it will not happen again, but put the onus onto Norris to ensure he bounces back from the clash.
“We will have conversations and the conversations may be even tough,” he said, “but there’s no doubt over the support we give to Lando and over the fact that we will preserve our parity and equality in terms of how we go racing at McLaren between our two drivers.”
“The situation would be different if Lando would have not taken responsibility and apologised.
“Lando himself will have to show his character to overcome these kind of episodes, make sure that he only takes the learnings, he only takes what will make him a stronger driver, and dismisses anything which will be a little bit of, how to say, residual, a little bit of any influence for the future, which may not simply be good learning and a stronger driver.
READ MORE – Lando Norris apology for F1 Canadian GP collision will make McLaren ‘stronger’
