Lando Norris says ‘not most joyful conversations' followed his Canada crash
Norris was speaking at length for the first time since his world championship setback at the previous round in Montreal, where he crashed into the back of team-mate Piastri's car.
Championship leader Piastri was able to finish fourth but Norris retired with damage which leaves him 22 points off the title pace ahead of the 11th round of the season in Austria on Sunday.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella had warned of tough conversations with Norris.
The little bow to each other 😍#McLaren | #AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/hUlQCcfkfe
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 26, 2025
Addressing the post-Montreal summit here in Spielberg, the British driver said: 'Of course, they were not the most joyful conversations, but they were conversations that clearly needed to be had because it is not about just me, but it is about how we perform as a team, too, and we all know what the number one rule (not crashing into a team-mate) was, and continues to be.
'So, there were very constructive things that were said, in an unfortunate way but in a good way, too, because many things have come out stronger which you might not have expected.'
Norris accepted full responsibility for the coming together he said made him look foolish.
He was already on the back foot in Canada following two mistakes in qualifying which left him seventh on the grid.
He drove well to bring himself back into contention only to misjudge the move on Piastri which again raises questions over his credentials as a legitimate championship contender.
But an upbeat Norris continued: 'I almost forgot about it until earlier today. I feel good and I am excited for this weekend.
'Yes, it took me a little time (to get over) because my team means everything to me. They are the people I have grown up with and the team that has given me my opportunity in Formula One.
'So, what happened in Montreal with my team-mate was probably the most painful part for me because it was the last thing I would ever want to happen and for that action to have come from me.
'I felt very bad for the team. It was a tough couple of days but I have become a lot better at dealing with those moments and speaking to Andrea, my team around me, and (McLaren CEO) Zak (Brown) and trying to move on as quickly as possible was very important. We come here with that in the past and we go again.'
We backkkkk 😁#McLaren | #AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/6Kw1eN1QlD
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 26, 2025
Despite the papaya-on-papaya clash, Norris insisted both he and Piastri are free to race.
He concluded: 'No, nothing has changed. It actually showed the trust and honesty that Oscar and I have for one another.
'And it is important that we keep that going and we stay strong because we don't want the downfall that we know other teams have had in the past.
'We want to race fair, hard and on the limit but we don't want a repeat of what happened last time out and that takes both of us even though Canada was on me.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
30 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Wimbledon holder Barbora Krejcikova an injury doubt
The world number 17, who defeated Jasmine Paolini in the women's singles final at SW19 last year, was due to face France's Varvara Gracheva in the quarter-finals at Devonshire Park. Barbora Krejcikova is an injury doubt ahead of her Wimbledon title defence after withdrawing from the Eastbourne Open due to a thigh problem. Czech player Krejcikova initially felt the issue on Wednesday during her second-round victory over Britain's Jodie Burrage. The injury worsened overnight and, with her opening match at Wimbledon scheduled for Tuesday, the 29-year-old is awaiting the outcome of a scan. 'I'm very sorry to have to withdraw from my quarter-final today in Eastbourne as I'm having some soreness in my right thigh,' said Krejcikova. 'Overnight it just didn't get any better; it actually got worse. I think it's better with Wimbledon in the next couple of days just to rest it and to see what's going on and to resolve that.' Krejcikova played two gruelling, three-set singles matches on the south coast. Having saved two match points en route to defeating British number four Harriet Dart in two hours and 40 minutes in round one, the second seed saved three more in her tie-break triumph over Burrage, which lasted two hours and 24 minutes. British singles interest in the tournament ended with quarter-final defeats for Billy Harris and Dan Evans in the men's draw. Read more: Harris was beaten 7-6 (4) 6-1 by French world number 20 Ugo Humbert. Evans, who registered a standout second-round win over world number 13 Tommy Paul on Wednesday, later lost 6-2 6-3 to American lucky loser Jenson Brooksby, who will take on Humbert in the last four. 'It was really difficult conditions; Jenson played a good match, he was probably better than me today,' said Evans. 'It was a very quick turnaround. It was not easy but that's tennis, you have to recover and get back out there. 'I'm not sure what time he finished yesterday but I think it was a lot earlier than me and it just felt all very quick today.' Defending men's champion Taylor Fritz – the American world number five and a three-time Eastbourne winner – overcame compatriot Marcos Giron 7-5 4-6 7-5 in Thursday's final match. The top seed will face sixth-seeded Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat 19-year-old world number 17 Jakub Mensik 6-4 7-5, in the last four. Australian 19-year-old Maya Joint backed up her second-round victory over British number one Emma Raducanu by reaching the semi-finals with a 6-4 7-5 success over Russian Anna Blinkova. Former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova awaits Joint after she beat fellow Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2 2-6 6-0, while 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala will take on Gracheva in the other semi-final following her 6-1 6-2 win over Dayana Yastremska.
Reuters
37 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russell suggests Mercedes are still after Verstappen
SPIELBERG, Austria, June 26 (Reuters) - George Russell has suggested his contract renewal talks with Mercedes are being held up because the team are still keen to sign Formula One champion Max Verstappen. The 27-year-old Briton, winner in Canada two weeks ago, is out of contract at the end of the season while four-times champion Verstappen has a deal with Red Bull until 2028, subject to get-out clauses. Russell told Sky Sports television at the Austrian Grand Prix that Mercedes, constructors' champions eight years in a row from 2014-2021 and currently second to McLaren, wanted to return to the top. "If you're going to be back on top you need to make sure you've got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that's what Mercedes are chasing," he said. "So, it's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I'm performing as I'm doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula One team." Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made his interest in Verstappen clear last year as he sought a replacement for seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton. In the end 18-year-old Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli was handed the opportunity and has been setting a string of age records, drawing strong support from fans. Verstappen and Russell have had a series of headline clashes on and off the track over the past 12 months, with Mercedes likely to have concerns about pairing them together should the opportunity arise. Russell told reporters separately that team boss Toto Wolff has assured him he was performing as well as anybody on the starting grid. "I think there's only one driver that you can debate in terms of performance -- these are his words, these are not my words -- so that's why I have no concern about the future," he said. "But there's two seats at every team and I guess he needs to think, who are those two drivers going to be for those two seats, and I guess that's what the delay is." Verstappen, appearing in the main FIA press conference, was reluctant to talk about his future when asked if he would be driving for Red Bull next year. "Do you want me to repeat what I said last year?... it's not really on my mind. Just driving well, trying to push the performance, and then we focus on next year."
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Lando Norris: I'm going to make up for Piastri crash at Red Bull Ring
It would be an exaggeration to say that Lando Norris's season hinges on the result in Austria this weekend. Whatever happens, we will still be less than halfway through this marathon, 24-race campaign. And as things stand he only trails his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 22 points in the championship. Less than a race win. But if ever Norris needed a morale-boosting weekend, it is now. The British driver joked on Thursday that he had 'almost forgotten' about his calamitous, race-ending crash into the back of Piastri in Montreal last time out until reminded of it by journalists on his arrival in Spielberg. But he was fooling no one. Nor in fairness did he attempt to. Truthful as ever, Norris went on to confess that it had been 'a tough couple of days' for him in the wake of that race. 'It took me a little time [to get over it] because my team means everything to me,' Norris said. 'They are the people I have grown up with and have given me my opportunity in Formula One. 'I felt very bad for the team and all the people who work at McLaren. It was a tough couple of days. But I have become a lot better at dealing with those moments and speaking to Andrea [Stella, team principal] and my team around me, Zak [Brown, chief executive], and trying to move on as quickly as possible, was very important. So we come here with that in the past and we go again.' Norris has said that a lot this season. But this time a strong weekend from him feels more significant. The qualifying errors were one thing. But that mistake in Canada has turbo-charged the voices of sceptics who do not believe Norris has the mental strength to cope with the pressure of a championship campaign. THE MCLARENS COME TOGETHER AND LANDO NORRIS IS OUT OF THE RACE! 😱🟠 — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 15, 2025 And with Norris's home race coming up next week, where the spotlight on him will be acute – all the more so with the creation this season of a 10,000-seat 'Landostand' at Stowe Corner – the last thing he needs is to head to Silverstone off the back of another poor weekend. Hence why this race is so important. Norris said if there was one positive, it is that this weekend's race takes place at the Red Bull Ring, one of his favourite circuits. Twice he has finished on the podium here, in 2020 and 2021, when McLaren were far less competitive than they are now. And last year Norris was battling for the lead of the race with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, only for the Dutchman's aggressive driving in the braking zone to end his afternoon. 'If there is any track that I kind of would say I would go to to give myself the best feeling and make myself most comfortable, it's probably here,' he said. 'Just from my stats, my enjoyment of the circuit. Some of the memories I've had.' Norris did point out that Red Bull still had an advantage in high-speed corners, of which there are many in Spielberg. 'Max was on pole by like 4½-tenths last year,' he said. 'So we expect to be good, but maybe struggle a little bit in qualifying compared to some of our competitors.' Both Norris and Piastri – who admitted it was 'far too early' to talk about being given preferential status – still have one potential advantage over Verstappen. The Dutch driver remains on a disciplinary tightrope, one point off a race ban following his crash into George Russell in Barcelona. Not that Red Bull's four-time champion would take any questions on the subject. 'Are you joking?' Verstappen asked when his penalty points situation was put to him. 'Is this like a trap? I'm getting this question every single time, every weekend. Sorry, this is the last one. I have nothing to add.'
