Oscar Piastri speaks out after McLaren’s final-lap F1 crash

The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix sprint race ended in absolute disaster for the McLaren team. Following a 30-minute delay due to torrential downpours, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were running comfortably in fifth and fourth place, respectively, during the closing moments of the 100-kilometer dash. However, on the very last lap of the race, a desperate overtaking attempt completely ruined the team’s weekend.

While chasing down Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Norris attempted to dive past Piastri on the inside at Turn 5. The two papaya cars aggressively collided, sending Piastri into a spin and forcing him to instantly retire from the race. Norris managed to recover the car and continue, but he dropped all the way down to eighth place, salvaging a single championship point while Max Verstappen cruised to victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Norris is currently under active investigation by the FIA race stewards for causing the collision.

A surprisingly calm reaction

Given the massive championship implications – McLaren is currently trailing Scuderia Ferrari by 89 points in the Constructors’ standings – paddock insiders expected Piastri to be absolutely furious with his team-mate. Instead, the Australian driver offered a remarkably unbothered assessment of the costly incident.

Oscar Piastri speaks out after McLaren’s final-lap F1 crash

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT images via Getty Images

When asked by Sky Sports F1 presenter Craig Slater if he had reviewed the crash footage to figure out how to debrief the team’s internal “papaya rules” moving forward, Piastri completely downplayed the severity of the lost points.

“I’ve not seen it properly. I mean, from where I sit, I’m not… You know, it’s for fourth and fifth for a sprint race, so… I’m not bothered either way,” Piastri stated.

Focusing on the mechanics

Rather than throwing Norris under the bus or launching into a heated critique of his team-mate’s aggressive driving style, Piastri immediately shifted his focus toward the massive workload now facing the McLaren garage crew. Because the sprint format leaves a very tight turnaround window before the main Grand Prix qualifying session, the mechanics will be scrambling to repair the extensive bodywork damage on both cars.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images

“Just obviously it’s a lot of work now for the team to get both cars fixed, so… Yeah, just a shame for the team,” Piastri concluded.

With Norris actively apologising over the team radio and claiming he thought he was fully alongside his team-mate before running out of space at the apex, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella will need to heavily manage the internal garage dynamics before Sunday’s main event.