Teammate tension peaks as Norris-Piastri echo Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry

The teammates sealed back-to-back constructors’ championships for McLaren most recently at the Singapore Grand Prix. But, only one thing was on the minds of everyone in the paddock: Their lap 1 collision.

It’s not the first time the pair have made contact with each other this season, with their coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix that saw Norris crash out being the peak of that problem. But the incident at the Marina Bay Street Circuit created perhaps the biggest fallout so far in this growing and gripping rivalry.

The United States Grand Prix is no stranger to teammate battles spilling over. Just ask Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. But as the F1 circus rides into Austin, will we see teammates clashing once again in the Lone Star State?

The lap 1 collision in Singapore between Norris and Piastri continues to stoke a growing fire between the two, as 22 points separate the Brit and the Australian coming into Austin. In Singapore, Norris first made contact with Max Verstappen before veering into his teammate, ultimately helping him get past at the first corner and hold onto P3 in front of a fuming Piastri, who could only hold onto P4.

“So are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way, or? What’s the go there?” was the prickly reaction from the Australian over the team radio. No action would be taken by the stewards, which only worsened Piastri’s mood: “That's not fair. I'm sorry, that's not fair. If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his team-mate, then that's a pretty **** job of avoiding."

Of course, ‘papaya rules’ was, once again, at the forefront.

It’s not the first instance where the handling of ‘papaya rules’ has been a thorn in McLaren’s side. At the Italian Grand Prix, Piastri was informed to swap positions with Norris after a slow stop saw the Brit drop back behind the Australian, reversing the roles that were shown at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.

However, there was nothing but silence this time around for Piastri. The main stipulation of the ‘papaya rules’, ‘Don’t make contact’, was not abided by in Singapore, but this time, ‘papaya rules’ were not enforced. Such was Piastri's disdain, it seemed he cut McLaren’s CEO, Zak Brown, short on his constructors’ title congratulations over the team radio. 

“The first-lap situation is one of those things that can happen with such close racing. We will review the situation together with our drivers, and we’ll have good conversations like we did after Canada,” explained Andrea Stella on why there was no interference from the pit wall in Singapore.

There has always been mutual respect between Norris and Piastri as teammates. But the drivers’ championship can do funny things to teammates. The gloves are well and truly off, and even ‘papaya rules’ have an air of abandonment about them now.

All eyes will be drawn to the States to see if those “conversations” have been beneficial for all parties involved, or whether this bubbling situation will come to a crescendo at the Circuit of The Americas.

It won’t be the first time teammates have come to a head at COTA if the two McLaren drivers are to do so. Rewind ten years ago, and another battle between two teammates reached its peak in Austin.

At the 2015 United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton crossed the line for his third world title, leapfrogging teammate and pole sitter Nico Rosberg to give himself an unassailable lead over the German. Hamilton took the lead from Rosberg on lap 1, aggressively forcing the German out wide into the first corner, which Rosberg could not recover from, despite retaking the lead halfway through the race.

It was a move from Hamilton that went “one step too far”, according to Rosberg. The pressure that had been building since the 2014 season just burst the dam wide open.

The infamous cool-down room moment was the first thing to spew out from the fissure, something now steeped in F1 history as Rosberg flung the P2 cap back in the direction of Hamilton.

It was one of the frostiest moments between the two teammates and former friends, with Rosberg not spraying any champagne on the podium either.

It then unravelled further, leading to the infamous 2016 Spanish Grand Prix collision between the two.

The question now will be whether the McLaren pair will follow the Mercedes duo, and the scenarios are more aligned than many may think.

Issues reached a boiling point for Hamilton and Rosberg in their second season together as they battled for the title. Norris and Piastri are right at the precipice of this potential issue.

They have had their issues in Montreal, Monza and Marina Bay. Now, a crucial crossroad lies ahead for Norris and Piastri. Will they come out of it unscathed? Or will the pressure burst the papaya-coloured dam? And will they be ready for what may come?