In the early hours of October 11 in Singapore, McLaren boss Andrea Stella responded further to the final-lap Sprint collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The stewards had already decided to take no further action, but Stella stressed that the incident had caused a tangible loss for the team and remained very serious.
Fighting for fourth and fifth ends with just 1 point
In media comments published on F1’s website, Stella said the team’s interests must come before individual interests. Disappointed by the collision, he felt the team needed serious reflection on how to prevent a repeat, rather than playing it down as an ordinary learning opportunity.
The McLarens had been fighting in fourth and fifth late in the Sprint. After the contact, Piastri retired and Norris eventually finished eighth, earning just 1 point. Had both finished fourth and fifth, they could have scored 9 points in total, 8 more than their actual return.
Stella stressed that McLaren wanted both to catch Ferrari and to retain its advantage over Red Bull, making the loss serious even in a Sprint. He wanted the drivers to consider the team result they were pursuing with both cars.
Talks before and after the Grand Prix will address avoiding further contact
Stella said some discussions had already taken place after the Sprint, but the race weekend was not over and the drivers and team also needed to remain ready to keep working. Discussions would continue before the Grand Prix and after the entire weekend.
Asked about apologies or who bore the main responsibility, he said he preferred the drivers to consider how to protect the team’s interests together, avoid similar contact and cooperate towards better results.
INKA SPORTS analysis: the team is concerned with more than responsibility for one incident
The stewards’ ruling on this collision was that both drivers’ actions contributed and neither was wholly or predominantly responsible, so no further action was required. Stella faced a separate practical loss: both cars had been towards the front of the points-paying places, but after contact only one finished and scored. How the drivers can preserve their combined result while competing with each other will be central to the team’s further discussions.
Continuing the discussion before the Grand Prix and after the weekend both prepares for the immediate race and leaves time for a full review. Stella’s shift in focus from apologies to practical cooperation shows the team wants its drivers to consider the effect of a collision on both cars and the constructors’ points while fighting for position.
Conclusion
McLaren lost an opportunity to score with both cars. Stella’s requested response was continued discussion centred on their combined result. That internal work would continue after the stewards had finished determining responsibility for the incident.
