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INTERNAL REVIEW COMPLETE: NORRIS ACCEPTS GUILT FOR SINGAPORE MAYHEM

Lando Norris admits McLaren's internal investigation held him responsible for the Singapore GP clash with teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris accepts the verdict as the team manages a tight drivers' championship battle.

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

Speaking candidly about the aftermath of his contentious altercation with Oscar Piastri at the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, Lando Norris disclosed that McLaren's internal investigation held him responsible for the first-lap incident that almost ended both drivers' races.

After forcing a brief contact between the two McLarens, the Briton's aggressive approach to his teammate around Turn 3 garnered a lot of attention. Despite the fact that neither car sustained damage that would have ended the race, Piastri expressed his annoyance over team radio, and rumours soon spread about whether or not McLaren's unity had been broken.

Zak Brown and Andrea Stella dismissed the altercation as a "racing moment" at the time, but the team agreed to examine the altercation before the USGP in Austin. Now that the process is over, Norris acknowledged that McLaren finally held him accountable, a decision he stated he completely accepts.

"That was inevitable; there were talks," Norris told reporters, including Total-Motorsport.com. I believe it is fair that the team held me responsible for what transpired, and we proceeded to comprehend the consequences for myself and prevent a worse outcome from occurring.

"After a race, I do not want anything like that to occur and lead to these contentious discussions. However, I run the same chance of losing the race to myself as I do to the person I am competing against, be it Oscar or someone else.

Norris commends McLaren's management.

Despite taking responsibility, Norris claimed that the result demonstrated McLaren's dedication to resolving conflicts amicably rather than by assigning blame or punishing people. The 25-year-old emphasised that the review was about strengthening confidence between both sides of the garage, but he did not disclose the precise consequences.

According to Norris, "as a team, we have always done well using and moving forward with the structure that we have to allow both of us as drivers to trust each other and the team." "We are a stronger team than everyone else, and that is mostly the reason behind that."

The incident happened at a really bad time. Even though McLaren had just won the Constructors' Championship, the internal pressure has intensified due to the increasing intensity of the drivers' title battle between Piastri, Norris, and Max Verstappen. Even the most disciplined partnerships can break under championship pressure, as the collision in Singapore served as a sobering reminder.

Norris admitted that it will be challenging for Andrea Stella to uphold equity while sustaining the motivation of both drivers. However, he commended Zak Brown's steadfast leadership and the team principal's well-rounded strategy for maintaining McLaren's internal culture.

Although there are instances when the consequences are negative, it is evident that Andrea is interested in maintaining the productive teamwork that has helped us go from finishing last on the grid a few years ago to becoming the top-performing squad, according to Norris.

Naturally, there will be more difficult situations when those two drivers are vying for victories. But thanks to Andrea's and Zak's leadership, as well as these discussions, we have been able to handle things effectively on both sides.

Making analogies to previous Formula 1 rivalries, Norris considered how McLaren's emphasis on communication had kept tensions from rising.

Norris continued, "I am not sure what became of all the teams in the past or what Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg had." However, maintaining the framework and morale that we established is Andrea's top responsibility.

"I have been involved with it for a long time, but in the past two years, since Andrea took over as team principal, he has been trying to maintain the excellence of the team we currently have."

Oscar Piastri and Norris are still in the running for the Drivers' Championship, with Norris behind him by 22 points when McLaren travels to Austin. However, the Briton maintains that for the time being, the emphasis is on preserving harmony and respect within a team that has found its winning rhythm — and preventing a recurrence of the Singapore crisis.

RED BULL STAY CALM, COOL, AND CONFIDENT DESPITE MCLAREN MOMENTUM

Red Bull's Laurent Mekies denies their 2025 car focus is due to 2026 PU concerns, calling it a strategic choice to improve development tools. As Lando Norris retakes the title lead, the F1 championship battle intensifies.

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Red Bull Unfazed by McLaren Rise - COURTESY/PHOTO

In Mexico, McLaren CEO Andrea Stella implied that Red Bull's choice to continue working on its 2025 vehicle was a reflection of a lack of clarity surrounding the upcoming Red Bull-Ford power unit.

However, that notion has been rejected by team manager Laurent Mekies and Dr. Helmut Marko.

Mekies stated it has nothing to do with 2026.

"We would have too many unanswered questions going into 2026 if we did not get the most out of this car by the end of the season. We made the decision to spend more money on this vehicle in order to fix its shortcomings and increase its speed.

It greatly increases our confidence in our 2026 tools, strategies, and techniques. Yes, the new project will require less time and effort, but it was a deliberate choice. Performance has nothing to do with it.

According to the Frenchman, the team's strategy is centered on comprehension rather than risk. "We think there will be a net benefit, so we are doing this. We can apply our methods to 2026 and are now verifying them. If it led to difficulties, we would not do it.

Yes, there is a cost, but we think it is worthwhile.

Red Bull's momentum was halted by Mexico as Norris resumed his winning ways, despite Verstappen's recent race surge. Despite replacing an unproductive Oscar Piastri as the championship leader, Verstappen actually cut his overall lead to 36 points.

Norris' resounding win was a welcome change for Stella. Verstappen is still a competitor, but we have the advantage in the next races, he stated.

We have demonstrated that we have a car that can win races and, in some situations, dominate, which has boosted confidence in the championship.

This is the most crucial element that permits Lando and Oscar to compete for the Drivers' Championship, the Italian engineer continued. It has to do with competitiveness, not mathematics. Although the previous races in Austin, Baku, Singapore, and Monza were challenging, we have now once again proven our strength.

In Mexico, Piastri's decline worsened, but Stella stayed positive. Oscar claimed that despite losing some points to Verstappen, he gained a lot of knowledge this past weekend. To make sure you are competitive in every situation during the last stretch, you make that kind of investment. We are stronger and more hopeful when we leave Mexico.

Marko of Red Bull concurred that the battle is still open. "It is no longer assured that one team dominates at a circuit, and there are still 116 points available," he remarked.

We still have a shot. Since Max is the center of attention, I hope the two McLarens stick to their fair play policy.

Verstappen's pace in Mexico, according to Marko, was more powerful than it seemed. In race trim, we knew we would perform better. Max compared himself to a hunting hound, saying that once he scents anything, all else vanishes and he attacks.

But at McLaren, the focus is already shifting from gearboxes to mentalities. Now at the top of the rankings, Norris is under increased scrutiny after the Mexican fans jeered him.

"The question now is whether Norris can take use of his second chance as title leader - or if things will turn unstable again," former Formula One driver Timo Glock told Sky Deutschland. Has he comprehended why the pressure was too severe for him earlier, why he couldn't drive freely back then?

The odds are on his side if he has and has figured out how to deal with it, Glock continued. It is easier said than done, though. It is a completely different picture once the helmet is on and the pressure increases.

JANNIK SINNER BREAKS SILENCE ON POSSIBLE DAVIS CUP REVERSAL

Jannik Sinner is standing firm on his decision to skip the 2025 Davis Cup, showing frustration at repeated questions. The Italian star prioritises his off-season and 2026 Australian Open preparation over defending the title.

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Jannik Sinner Addresses Buzz Around His Davis Cup Future - PHOTO: EPA

When Jannik Sinner's decision to skip the 2025 Davis Cup Finals next month was brought up again, he appeared a little miffed.

Top players commit to competing in the finals because of its scheduling, which runs from November 18 to November 23. They would only have a little more than a month off until 2026 starts if they played until late November.

During Team Italy's championship runs in 2023 and 2024, Sinner was their lucky charm. The nation's remarkable recent supremacy in the sport was established by the women's victories in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024 and 2025.

Even if the 2025 finals will be placed in Bologna, Italy's chances of winning the Davis Cup for a third time in a row appear to be slim after Sinner declared he would not participate.

The four-time Grand Slam champion said he had previously won two Davis Cups with his Italian colleagues and that he planned to use the additional week to get ready for the Australian Open in 2026.

Nicola Pietrangeli, a fellow Italian legend and two-time French Open champion, was not pleased with Sinner's choice or his justification for it. He believes that modern players are more concerned with money than with patriotism and that it was disrespectful to their nation.

Sinner stated that while people have the right to their opinions, he did not wish to contribute anything further in reaction to the criticism. It is possible that the ATP world No. 2 assumed the topic would be abandoned at that point.

Rather, a reporter at the 2025 Paris Masters questioned Sinner about the possibility of changing his mind. It is still mathematically conceivable to finish as the year-end No. 1 because Sinner had stated that it would be impossible before Alcaraz's surprise defeat by Cameron Norrie in Paris.

Compared to his response to Pietrangeli's and others' criticism, Sinner's response was even more succinct and direct. The 24-year-old reiterated that he had nothing else to say and indicated the choice had been made.

"No, the choice has been made. However, I covered everything a few days ago.

Sinner's frustration with the inquiries surrounding his Davis Cup selection was evident. Even though it makes some sense, missing a home team event is an unavoidable consequence of being a top player.

Recently, Sinner criticised the four Grand Slams.


Sinner was irritated with the four Grand Slams in a different interview for not doing more to address concerns about prize money and other advantages, including healthcare and pensions, that were brought up by elite players earlier this year.

The Wimbledon champion this year expressed frustration that the major events wanted to address some other concerns before fully interacting with players and said that initially, encouraging conversations had not resulted in any follow-up steps.

Twenty elite athletes, 10 from the ATP and 10 from the WTA, wrote to the Grand Slams earlier this season to request a larger share of the money made to be distributed as prize money and other benefits.

It will be interesting to watch if the Grand Slams address those issues and make adjustments in 2026.

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