Lando Norris walks away from the Canadian Grand Prix having lost out on 10 points, after a clash with teammate Oscar Piastri.
The Briton failed to score points after crashing into the back of Piastri in the closing stages of the race, ending his race on the spot with front wing and suspension damage.
It means the gulf in points between the pair is now over 20 points, while Nico Rosberg now thinks the race provided a ‘watershed’ moment in the title battle.
Discussing the clash between the two on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, former F1 test driver Sam Bird thinks Norris is now having to live with one reality that he’s not used to at the team.
Lando Norris no longer the number one driver at McLaren
Norris has been with McLaren since 2019, having graduated through their driver academy, and for a while, he was their favoured driver over teammates Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo
This was also the case between him and Piastri last year, but that dynamic has now changed with the Australian’s impressive form this season.
“Ever since we landed in Australia for race one, Oscar Piastri has taken a big step and made a huge chunk into Lando Norris’ lead, as that number one driver, so much that it’s now neck and neck. And I think there’s a bit of pressure there for Lando,” said Bird.
“He’s not used to that. He’s been the lead driver at McLaren for so long now, for as long as I can certainly remember.
“That is difficult to stomach when you see your teammate all of a sudden, ‘Hang on, I’m supposed to be quicker than this guy, because I was quicker than him last year, and I was quicker than him the year before.’”
F1 fans are happy that Lando Norris admitted it was his mistake in Canada clash
Norris immediately held his hands up after the collision between him and Piastri, radioing into the team to tell them it was his mistake.
F1 fans believe Norris showed maturity in his response to the clash, given that it also enables him to draw a line under the incident.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
198 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
176 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
155 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
136 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
104 |
| 6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
79 |
| 7 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
63 |
| 8 |
Alexander Albon |
42 |
| 9 |
Esteban Ocon |
22 |
| 10 |
Isack Hadjar |
21 |
George Russell felt Norris was at fault in the crash because he went for a gap that didn’t exist on Piastri, while Damon Hill also felt it was ‘disappointing’ to watch.
Whatever the outcome, there is likely going to be words between the two teammates and Andrea Stella given their position in the title race as contenders for both championships.
