As the ‘Oscar Piastri-2025 Canadian GP’ episode ends, the Australian dubbed his late, dramatic clash with teammate Lando Norris as “a shame” for McLaren. The McLaren #2 also revealed it to be his ‘not-so-easiest‘ race weekend, as he missed the podium in Montréal.
As the race started today, McLaren was at a disadvantage, with Norris running from P7 of the starting grid. Eventually, the Papayas relied on Piastri (P3 runner) to lead them against the pole-starter George Russell.
But, the Australian was soon overtaken by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in the first lap. However, to make matters worse, Norris pulled a late, dramatic clash with Piastri, costing himself and McLaren heavily.
After being overtaken on the opening lap by Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri spent much of the race defending his position in what became a tense and demanding stint. As pit stops unfolded, Lando Norris closed in during the final laps, setting the stage for a dramatic intra-team battle. Under pressure, Piastri fought hard to stay ahead, but Norris made an aggressive attempt to squeeze through a narrow gap, making contact with the rear of the No. 81 McLaren.
The intensity peaked on Lap 67 as the teammates exited the hairpin side by side. Heading down the start-finish straight, Norris tried to pull ahead on the inside, but misjudged the space and struck the back of Piastri’s car. The collision sent Norris into the wall, ending his race in bitter disappointment and marking a moment that left McLaren reflecting on what could have been.
Oscar Piastri labels Norris’ clash as ‘a shame’ for McLaren during ‘not the easiest’ 2025 Canadian GP
In the post-race show, the Australian reflected on the dramatic clash, revealing that he was visually unaware of the crash. “I mean, I haven’t seen it, so I don’t really know,” he said.
“I was defending the inside and then felt a slight touch, and that’s honestly all I have at the moment.
“Obviously, a shame for the team. Apart from that, it was a bit of a difficult race. Just not the easiest of weekends,” he added.
Emphasising the race, he expressed that McLaren’s pace was ‘just not quick enough‘ in the slightly colder conditions of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
“I think our pace was okay in the second half, and we were quicker than the cars around us, just not by enough. That just meant it was very tough to make much progress really.
“We struggled a bit on the medium, but we seemed better when the graining happened for everybody. We just needed the race to be about 30 laps longer, I think. Some things to learn,” he concluded.
Despite the intra-team collision, McLaren still salvaged a strong result, with Oscar Piastri managing to finish fourth under the Safety Car—his first non-podium since the season opener in Melbourne. The outcome, though bittersweet, allowed the team to extend their lead in the drivers’ standings through Piastri, who now sits 22 points clear of Norris, up from 10 before the race. While the incident may spark internal reflection, McLaren’s title push remains firmly on track.