Piastri labels Norris clash ‘a shame for the team’ after ‘not the easiest’ Canadian Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri reflected on the Canadian Grand Prix moment that saw his battle with Lando Norris end in a collision for the first time this season, marking an unfortunate end to one of McLaren’s weakest weekends so far in 2025.

The papaya team appeared to have a reduced advantage over their contenders from the first practice session at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve as they struggled to find their rhythm, while Mercedes thrived in the slightly colder conditions.

READ MORE: Russell takes solid victory as Piastri and Norris collide late on in dramatic Canadian Grand Prix

This culminated in the McLaren pair qualifying in third and seventh place for the race, with Piastri as the lead driver to represent their best chance of challenging George Russell and Max Verstappen on the front row.

However, he was overtaken on the first lap by Kimi Antonelli, and after a series of pit stops Norris was able to catch up in the closing stage. While Piastri fought to keep him behind, his team mate tried to squeeze through a narrow gap, driving into the rear of the Australian’s car in the process and subsequently retiring with damage.

“I mean I obviously haven’t seen it so I don’t really know,” Piastri said after the race. “I was defending the inside and then felt a small touch and that’s honestly all I have at the moment.

“Obviously a shame for the team. It was a bit of a difficult race apart from that. Just not the easiest of weekends.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from the Canadian GP as Russell clinches victory while Norris and Piastri collide

“I think our pace was okay in the second half and I think 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.”

With McLaren currently the favourites to win both championships, it seemed probable that their two drivers would come to blows at some point – Norris himself admitted going into the weekend that it was a matter of “when” rather than “if”.

Despite the collision, Piastri was able to continue for the remaining laps behind the Safety Car and cross the line in fourth place, which is his first non-podium finish since the season opener in Melbourne.

READ MORE: ‘It’s amazing to be back on the top step’ – Russell jubilant after hard-fought victory in Canada

The result has nevertheless allowed him to extend his lead over Norris in the standings, taking it from 10 points before today to 22 after the latter’s DNF.

Asked whether it’s important to make the most of it, Piastri said: “Yeah, definitely. I would have enjoyed it going a bit better than it did but you’ve got to take the results you get sometimes, and I think this is one of those weekends.”