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It was a wild end to Saturday's action on the streets around Marina Bay when Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri came together on the final lap of the Singapore Sprint. Held in mixed conditions following a heavy downpour just before the start, the Saturday Sprint saw both McLaren drivers bottled up behind Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. The Ferrari driver was struggling heavily with worn intermediate tyres, creating a massive traffic jam and setting the stage for total chaos.
Running closely together in fourth and fifth position, Norris sensed an opportunity to grab fourth place. As they approached Turn 5 on the final lap, Norris made his move, diving to the inside and pulling alongside. But things unravelled instantly. Norris began to back out through the corner as the gap closed, and the reigning World Champion's left-front tyre caught the right-rear of Piastri's machine.
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.
The contact sent both cars into a spin. Piastri slammed into the wall and was forced to retire on the spot, while Norris managed to get going again and limp across the finish line in P8. To add to the drama, the post-race stewards placed the incident under investigation.
Giving his take on the clash, Norris pointed to the team's strong pace while trapped behind slower traffic all afternoon. "I think the pace was very strong. Obviously we were just stuck the whole race, and the last lap there was a big opportunity into Turn 5," Norris said. He explained that he went for a gap that ultimately shrank, forcing him to try and avoid contact that happened anyway. "It was a big gap, I went for it, I have the right to do that. The rest we go review as a team," he added.
Piastri, meanwhile, noted that he battled with tyre management at the beginning and towards the end of the Sprint as he tried to find a way past Leclerc on an all-but dry track. On the collision itself, the Australian was direct about his view from the cockpit. "I need to look at it. I didn't see him at the apex," Piastri admitted. "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."
