McLaren have removed the repercussions imposed on Lando Norris after team-mate Oscar Piastri bore some responsibility for their collision in the Austin Sprint, leaving the title rivals back competing on a “clean slate” from this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
In what effectively appears to be a cancelling out of consequences for the drivers after collisions in each of the last two race weekends, Piastri confirmed on Thursday that he had taken “a degree of responsibility” for the first-corner incident in the USA last Saturday that saw both McLarens crash out of the Sprint, after the team conducted their post-event review.
Norris had arrived in Austin with what McLaren described as “marginal” sporting consequences imposed on him after the Briton was found at fault for banging wheels with Piastri at the start of the previous race in Singapore.
That punishment, although never specified by the team, was thought most likely to relate to Piastri getting preference on whether he ran first or second on track in the final part of qualifying. Norris had said the sanction would affect him for the rest of the season.
But after the dramatic events of Austin, which saw Piastri inadvertently wipe out both McLarens at the start of the Sprint after first colliding with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, the slate has now been wiped clean.
“The consequences on Lando’s side have been removed,” confirmed Piastri, the world championship leader.
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Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris collide on the first corner after dramatic multi-car contact which forces both McLarens to retire at the US Grand Prix Sprint race!
As for McLaren’s review earlier this week, Piastri said: “We have gone through it again. We go through every weekend regardless of what’s happened.
“I think there is a degree of responsibility from my side in the Sprint and we are starting this weekend with a clean slate for both of us.
“Just going out and racing and see who can come out on top.”
Norris, who trails Piastri by 14 points, said: “Like we said, we’d have discussions after the weekend of what happened and so forth.
“So going forward it’s still us as a team versus everyone else, of course still versus each other, but we’re in a good place.”
What did McLaren’s review into Sprint crash determine?
The two McLarens had gone wheel-to-wheel on the steep uphill run into the Circuit of The Americas’ first turn as Piastri challenged Norris for second place behind Max Verstappen.
With his team-mate holding the inside line into the braking zone, Piastri decided not to keep running on the outside of the sister car into a wide turn but instead cut back sharply underneath Norris in an attempt to get a better run on him out of the corner.
But Piastri instead collided with the oncoming Hulkenberg, with the contact pitching the McLaren up on two wheels and bouncing it into the luckless Norris.
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A 360-degree look at the latest Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri collision which forced both McLarens to retire at the US Grand Prix Sprint race!
Both McLarens sustained terminal damage, with title rival Verstappen going on to win the Sprint to further energise his comeback title bid. He then won the main Grand Prix a day later, beating Norris into second with Piastri fifth, to cut his deficit to the latter to 40 points.
Asked if it was the aggressiveness of his cut-back that led to the conclusion he was at least partly responsible for the melee, Piastri said: “Ultimately it was that.
“There were a lot of factors involved but ultimately that’s what has been decided.”
‘I’d rather have the championship lead than be in any other spot’
With the topic of ‘repercussions’ now behind them, McLaren’s drivers can focus fully on the battle ahead at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend as they bid to halt Verstappen and Red Bull’s unexpected championship fightback.
Championship leader Piastri has been outscored by the Dutchman and Norris in the last four race weekends but insists he would still hold the points lead than be chasing.
“I think everyone likes a good underdog story or, you know, trying to come back is sometimes a bit easier,” he said.
“But I’d rather have the championship lead than be in any other spot.
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The F1 Show Podcast team discuss whether McLaren must now prioritise either Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris to claim the Drivers’ Championship.
“So, yeah, I’ve always kind of said I enjoy that because it normally means you’re doing something right. And I think through the course of the season we have done a lot of things right, and there are some things that we can still do even better.”
And on the charge being put together on the outside against both McLarens by Verstappen, who had been 104 points behind just five races ago, Piastri admitted: “The run of form that he’s had since Monza has been, I think, a bit of a surprise.
“Again, there were flashes of that kind of performance at certain points earlier in the season, but there were also some pretty big dips.
“So for him to now be consistent – that has been a bit of a surprise.
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“We know they’ve still been throwing a lot of things at their car, trying to improve it, so in some ways, it’s not a huge surprise. But I think for everyone, he’s probably come into the fight quicker than I expected.”
He added: “The thing that’s going to help me win this championship is trying to get the most out of myself, the most out of the car, the most out of the team around me, and worrying about anyone else on the grid is not focusing on that.
“So he’s there, he’s in the fight, but ultimately that doesn’t change how I’m going to approach my racing.”
Sky Sports F1’s Mexico City GP schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place at the Mexico City Grand Prix
Friday October 24
7pm: Mexico City GP Practice One (session starts at 7.30pm)
9pm: The F1 Show
10pm: Team Bosses’ Press Conference
10.45pm: Mexico City GP Practice Two (session starts at 11pm)*
Saturday October 25
6.15pm: Mexico City GP Practice Three (session starts at 6.30pm)
9pm: Mexico City GP Qualifying build-up*
10pm: MEXICO CITY GP QUALIFYING*
Sunday October 26
6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP build-up*
8pm: THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX*
10pm: Chequered Flag: Mexico City GP reaction
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1’s thrilling title race heads continues at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime