It was a disappointing Sprint Race for McLaren at the 2026 F1 Singapore GP. Despite both McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris running in P4 and P5, and bottled up behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for in the closing stages 20-lap Sprint Race, McLaren only scored a single point following the Sprint.
On the final lap of the race, with Leclerc struggling on his very worn intermediate tyres ahead, Norris took a gamble, making a move on Piastri into Turn 5. Unfortunately for them, both McLaren drivers proceeded to make contact as the World Champion slid into his stablemate.
Piastri’s McLaren spun and hit the wall, prematurely ending his 2026 F1 Singapore GP Sprint. While the reigning world champion’s McLaren spun too, Norris was able to resume and eventually took the chequered flag in P8. He could lose that point, however.
The collision between both McLarens was then placed under investigation by the stewards.
Lando Norris reflects on McLaren Sprint Race collision at 2026 F1 Singapore GP
Reflecting on his performance during the 2026 F1 Singapore GP Sprint, Norris shared that his MCL40 had decent pace. He then explained his rationale behind the move on Lap 20. As explained by the Briton, since both he and teammate Piastri were bottled up behind Leclerc, he decided to make the move on the final lap as “there was a big opportunity into [Turn] 5”.
Nonetheless, the Briton believes there was ample space for him to make the move. Hence, he had the right to fight for the position against Piastri.
“I think the pace is very strong. Obviously, we were just stuck the whole race and the last lap there was a big opportunity into [Turn] 5, so I went for it. The gap closed a bit more than I would have liked, and obviously I’ve had to back out of it because the gap was closing, so I’ve had to try and avoid the incident and obviously there still was one. But it was a big gap so I went for it. I have the right to do that. The rest we’ll go review as a team.”
Oscar Piastri shares perspective on collision with Norris
Piastri also shared his insights on the contact with teammate Lando Norris. According to the Australian, when he was checking before Turn 5, the Briton seemed to be a decent distance away and he had not anticipated Norris at the apex, resulting in their contact.
Piastri also admitted that his McLaren struggled during the start and end of the 2026 F1 Singapore GP Sprint, especially on his worn intermediate tyres.
“I need to look at it, I didn’t see him at the apex. I looked behind into the corner and saw he was a reasonable way behind for a corner like that but I’ll have a look and the team can do what it needs to do.
“Yeah, we looked okay in the middle part of the race, but the start and the end wasn’t great. So yeah, that’s probably the biggest thing to look at.”
