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.
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.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC LANDS IN ATHENS AFTER HISTORIC AUSTRALIAN OPEN RUNNER-UP FINISH
After a historic loss to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic returns to his family in Athens to reset for the 2026 tennis season.
After losing his first Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic just wanted to see his family.
Djokovic landed in Athens on Tuesday, wrapping up two weeks away from home and marking his 38th appearance in a major final.
For the first time ever, Novak walked away from Rod Laver Arena with the runner-up trophy. At 36, he became the oldest finalist in Australian Open history, but Alcaraz stopped him in four sets: 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The match lasted just over three hours.
This was Djokovic's first tournament in more than two months, and even so, he showed why people call him a legend. He cruised through the first three rounds and reached the last 16 without much fuss.
In the fourth round, Jakub Mensik had to pull out with an abdominal injury, so Novak got a walkover and saved some energy for the big matches ahead. But things nearly fell apart a few days later. Lorenzo Musetti took the first two sets in their quarterfinal, and for a moment, Djokovic looked like he might be headed home early. Then, out of nowhere, Musetti retired in the third set, and suddenly Novak was through to his 13th Australian Open semi-final.
Next up was Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champ. Djokovic had to dig deep. Twice he came back from a set down and eventually won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 after more than four hours on court. He fought off 16 out of 18 break points and weathered over 70 winners from Sinner, proving that belief really does go a long way. At 36, he marched into his 38th major final.
Djokovic left everything on court against Alcaraz. He started strong, but the Spaniard found his rhythm and took control in the second and third sets, racking up five breaks. In the fourth, Novak saved six break points early on and kept pace, even earning a break chance at 4-all. Then he missed a forehand he’d usually make, and just like that, his shot at a fifth set slipped away.
Alcaraz broke late in the set and sealed the win, handing Djokovic his first-ever loss in an Australian Open final. Now, Novak’s taking some time off to be with his family. He’s expected back on court soon, probably in Doha, but right now, only he knows how his schedule will look.
WHO IS SAMUEL LOPEZ? MEET THE COACH BEHIND CARLOS ALCARAZ’S 2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN GLORY
Discover the touching moment Carlos Alcaraz saw coach Samuel Lopez receive a trophy after his Australian Open victory.
Carlos Alcaraz just pulled off something huge—he beat Novak Djokovic in four sets (2:6, 6:2, 6:3, 7:5) to win the Australian Open. With this win, he joins the legends of the Open era, becoming one of the rare players to snag at least one title at all four Grand Slams.
Here’s the wild part: Alcaraz is just 22. Actually, he turns 23 on May 5, so he’s still got plenty of time. This marks his seventh Grand Slam title already. For a bit of perspective, Djokovic had only one Grand Slam trophy at Alcaraz’s age.
Since he’d never won the Australian Open before, Alcaraz didn’t really know the drill for the trophy ceremony. His coach, Samuel Lopez, got a trophy too, which caught Carlos off guard—in a good way. Their partnership has clearly paid off.
Talking to the media, Alcaraz said he loved that coaches get recognised with their own trophy. He hadn’t seen that before and thought it was a fantastic idea, since a champion’s journey isn’t a solo effort. Watching Samuel Lopez get his moment meant a lot to him. “It’s wonderful, and when I saw him there, I was so happy because I know Samuel has been working toward this moment his whole life. For me, he’s one of the best coaches—if not the best—you can have on a tennis court today. For me, it was a magical and incredibly special moment: hugging him after the last point and also seeing him there, with everyone recognising what he deserves,” Alcaraz said.
Not everyone was convinced after Alcaraz split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and started working with Lopez. Some experts doubted whether he could keep dominating the tour this year. But after Melbourne, it looks like Alcaraz isn’t going anywhere. Even without Ferrero, he’s still leading the pack.
With three more Grand Slams coming up this season, it’s shaping up to be a wild ride. You get the feeling that we’ll be watching Alcaraz and Sinner battling for the biggest prizes all year long.