Lando Norris the target of ‘Mario Kart’ quip after Oscar Piastri crashes out
McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are competing for the 2025 title
George Russell has joked that Lando Norris performed a Mario Kart-style move by pulling water on to the track during the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race.
It came after Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate and F1 2025 title rival, lost control and crashed out of the mini race moments after Norris ran wide at Turn 3.
George Russell: Lando Norris ‘the smartest guy on the grid’
Piastri retired from the sprint race on Lap 6 after colliding with the barrier on the outside of the long left hander of Turn 3.
The Australian was followed into the barrier in quick succession by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine driver Franco Colapinto, who lost control at the same corner.
Replays after the incident showed that race leader Norris – who went on to win the sprint – inadvertently had a role to play in the trio of incidents having ran wide at Turn 3 and kicked up some water.
Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri: McLaren head-to-head scores for F1 2025
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
Norris’s error was flagged by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver, who commented over team radio: “Norris hit the kerb and a lot of water went on line.”
Speaking in the post-race press conference on Saturday at Interlagos, Norris revealed that he noticed the water come on to the track at Turn 3 after his mistake, insisting he was keen to avoid the kerbs on a damp track.
He said: “It’s a kerb you always use in quali. We use it a lot.
“Obviously, when it’s wet conditions like this, you want to stay off all the kerbs.
“I ran a little bit wide and I saw the water come on to the track, but that was it.”
Russell, who finished third in the sprint, could not resist the opportunity to brand Norris the “smartest guy on the grid” for inadvertently playing a role in Piastri’s accident, likening his mistake to a move from the Mario Kart video games.
The Mario Kart games see players throw missiles in an attempt to wrongfoot their opposition.
Russell said: “A little bit like Mario Kart when you throw the banana out behind.
“Smartest guy on the grid, this guy!”
More on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from PlanetF1.com
Having fallen behind Norris in the championship for the first time since April at last month’s Mexican Grand Prix, Piastri now finds himself trailing his teammate by nine points with four races remaining in 2025.
He remains without a victory since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, with the Australian without a podium finish for the last four rounds.
Asked how he can bounce back after the latest blow to his title hopes, Piastri told Sky F1: “Trying to put this behind [me], I guess.
“We’ll see what weather we have this afternoon, but obviously there’s a lot more points on offer tomorrow.
“The better job I can do this afternoon of trying to get myself a good starting spot, the better it will be.”
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