Tables turned in McLaren title fight as Piastri called ‘thinner-skinned’ than Norris
McLaren opted against intervening to swap Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri back after a first-lap clash Piastri deemed "unfair".
After months questioning the driver’s mental strength, Ralf Schumacher has turned his focus from Lando Norris to Oscar Piastri.
Crashing out on the opening lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after first crashing in qualifying, Piastri bounced back in Singapore to put his McLaren P3 on the grid to Norris’ P5.
Is Oscar Piastri starting to crack?
But as the Briton got a better start, storming off of the grid to fight Max Verstappen and Piastri for second place, the teammates made contact with Piastri coming off second best.
The Australian initially urged McLaren to intervene.
“Yeah, I mean that wasn’t very team like,” he said.
He then added: “So, are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way? What’s the go there?”
But as McLaren‘s decision not to do so became evident, he complained: “That’s not fair, I’m sorry, that’s not fair.
“If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his teammate, then that’s a pretty **** job of avoiding.”
It was the first time that the cool and calm headed Piastri showed any weakness, with even his Baku crashes not raising eyebrows in quite the same manner that his Singapore complaints did.
Oscar Piastri v Lando Norris: F1 2025 head-to-head stats
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
According to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, it was the first sign of Piastri being “thinner-skinned” than his teammate.
“That was not Norris’ intention. But that can also go wrong,” he said of the Turn 3 contact in his Sky Deutschland’s coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix. “Lando is doing a good job, had a good start.
“Piastri was also annoyed that Lando got past him. The contact does happen.
“Oscar shows more nerves now. He’s definitely thinner-skinned now on the radio and in front of the microphones.”
It was notably change in tone from Schumacher, who previously questioned whether Norris had the mental strength to win the title.
Saying in 2024 that Norris “urgently needed” to change his mental approach, Schumacher added earlier this year: “He’s just a bit softer in character. I think that’s what makes him who he is and makes him likeable. But of course, no one cares about that on the race track; that’s where he has to perform.”
He added: “Oscar Piastri has the necessary toughness to pull it off. In my opinion, Lando would always brake again.”
That, though, was before the pressure of a title fight settled on the shoulders of the McLaren teammates…
Piastri sits 22 points ahead of Norris with six grands prix and three Sprints remaining.
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