McLaren duo avoid repeat clash as Piastri says sorry

Jun.30 (GMM)  Despite their collision just two weeks earlier in Canada, McLaren teammates and title rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris delivered an almost flawless wheel-to-wheel fight for victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Pole-sitter Norris ultimately took the win, but not without several intense challenges from championship leader Piastri – including one particularly close moment on track.

“There was only one situation in turn four where it got tight,” McLaren team boss Andrea Stella told Sky Deutschland after the race. “We sent a message to Oscar that it was a bit too tight. I’m also proud of Oscar for apologising for that action immediately after the chequered flag.

“That speaks volumes about the character of both of them and the sportsmanlike behaviour they both display.”

Stella, who has overseen a policy of strict driver equality under McLaren’s 'papaya rules' philosophy, praised both drivers for managing the tense battle without drama.

“I’m proud of how Oscar and Lando handled the situation,” he said following the team’s dominant 1-2 result.

Back in Canada, it was Norris who took responsibility after clipping Piastri’s rear wheel and retiring. The incident sparked what Norris described as a tense team debrief, but Stella maintains that the fallout was productive rather than punitive.

“The debriefing after Canada was about small incidents,” Stella said. “It just shows that we can simply leave a little more distance between each other. We don’t have to be 100 percent perfect, and we’re still fast enough.”

Indeed, McLaren’s pace in Austria was such that even Max Verstappen and Red Bull appear to have conceded the 2025 title fight.

“The two McLarens showed that we are definitely the fastest cars,” Stella acknowledged.

Sunday’s result also highlighted Norris’s ability to bounce back, despite a perception in the paddock that the Briton is more emotionally affected by setbacks than his steely Australian teammate.

“Not much has changed in Lando,” Stella insisted. “In Monaco, he took the win from pole. What happened in Canada was unfortunate, but now he’s taken pole and the win here.”

As for Piastri, his championship lead over Norris has now been trimmed to 15 points.

“I did my best,” Piastri said after the race. “Perhaps we pushed the limits too far at times, but it was fun, and that’s what we’re here for – to drive freely and fight for the win.”]]>