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The McLaren driver presented an uncompromising response toward the objections from his fellow driver Oscar Piastri after their contact during the Singapore Grand Prix, declaring how any racer that would not attempt an identical overtake does not deserve to compete in Formula One.

On-Track Clash Sparks Team Tensions

The Grand Prix at the Marina Bay street circuit was claimed for Mercedes Russell, however was marked by the contact during the initial turns, when Lando Norris challenged Oscar Piastri and bumped with Piastri after he had nudged the car driven by Verstappen in front.

Any driver in F1 would have attempted a similar move as I did, so if you fault me for simply taking the inside line of an opening then you should not race in Formula One,” he said. “There was acceptable with my actions.”

Title Fight Heats Up

The two McLaren drivers are in a direct contest to win the world title, with McLaren winning the constructors’ championship at the Singapore GP. Both drivers finished in third and fourth places, with Norris reduced the gap on his title rival down to twenty-two points with six races left.

Piastri was angry in the moment, decrying it as unfair for the team did not step in to have Norris return the place since he argued he had barged Piastri off the line. Nonetheless, the stewards took no action.

Norris's Defense

“I misjudged a little bit how close I was to Max, however that's part of racing plus I would have come out in front of Oscar anyway,” stated Norris. “I was on the inside and the last thing I intended to do was to collide with Oscar. Given my title position I am in, I can't risk making contact as opposed to him. The FIA deemed it fine and McLaren agreed.”

Teammate's Reaction

Piastri stated he wouldn't judge yet till McLaren conducted a debriefing. “I need to look at the video and more closely and come to my own opinion after that,” he said. This was lap one, tensions are high so we're urged to share our perspectives on what happened. I did that and we will discuss it moving forward.”

Team Principal's Viewpoint

McLaren's boss Andrea Stella also emphasized the team would evaluate their approach to managing both drivers. “We have to put everything into context. These are the remarks of a driver during an F1 race, there’s the heat of the race. The information that is available is merely his point of view. As always we'll hold a constructive discussion, move forward and come up stronger.”