The final laps of the Canadian Grand Prix brought a tense battle between the two McLaren teammates, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Piastri was running in fourth, chasing Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, with Norris right behind him and looking for a way through.

On lap 66, Norris dived up the inside at Turn 10, trying to make a move, but ran wide on the exit. That led to a drag race between the two McLarens as they sped toward the final chicane.

The real drama unfolded shortly after. Norris tried a bold overtake on the start-finish straight, squeezing down the inside next to the pit wall. In the process, he clipped Piastri’s rear wheel, damaging his front wing and sending himself into the wall. It ended Norris’ race on the spot, while Piastri managed to continue and hold on to fourth place.

The incident was strikingly similar to a famous clash between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton at the same part of the track back in 2011, also when both were driving for McLaren.

Norris immediately took full responsibility. “It’s all my bad, all my fault. Unlucky, sorry. Stupid from me,” he said over the team radio. After the race, he found Piastri in the media area and said simply, “Sorry.” Piastri, smiling, shook his hand and replied, “No, it’s fine. I mean, I ended up alright.”

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Norris added a more detailed apology. “No one to blame but myself, so I apologise to the whole team and to Oscar as well for, yeah — for attempting something probably a bit too silly. Glad I didn’t ruin his race.”

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown reacted online, writing: “Appreciate the candor, Lando.” Both he and team principal Andrea Stella have previously said that a collision between Norris and Piastri was likely to happen eventually, given how closely they’ve been matched. Stella later called the incident a “misjudgement,” and Norris himself admitted the move was unnecessary. “Yeah, but you know, this was just more silly,” he told reporters. “This wasn’t even like a… that’s racing. Silly from my part.”

Norris explained that his apology came from a place of genuine regret, not pressure. “Our number one rule is to not make contact with your teammate, and it’s what I did,” he told RacingNews365. Known for being hard on himself, Norris didn’t hold back. “McLaren is my family. I race for them every single weekend. I try and do well for them, more than I often try and do well for myself. So when I let them down like this, and when I make a fool of myself in a moment like today, yeah, I have a lot of regret.”

Despite the crash, Piastri was able to finish fourth and extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 22 points over Norris. When asked for his reaction, Piastri stayed composed. “Obviously it’s not ideal for anyone,” he told Sky Sports. “I haven’t actually seen the incident, so I don’t know what exactly happened, but yeah, if Lando’s taken full responsibility then that’s how it goes, I guess. Just a bit of a tricky race in general, and not an ideal finish.”