Ben Hunt is an award-winning motorsport journalist with over two decades of experience in Formula 1 and international media. As a former editor-in-chief and bestselling author, he delivers in-depth analysis and strategic insight from the highest level of the sport.
Lando Norris's last-lap collision with Oscar Piastri in the Singapore Sprint could end up costing McLaren around $10 million in prize money.
According to former Formula 1 technical director Gary Anderson, who argues in his column for The Race that the points McLaren lost could cost the team $10 million (£7.5 million) if they miss out on third place in the Constructors' Championship to Red Bull.
The collision on the last lap of the Singapore Sprint, as Norris attempted to pass at Turn 5 ended Piastri’s race and dropping Norris to eighth. While the stewards took no action, judging that both drivers contributed, Norris later apologised and accepted responsibility after speaking with Piastri and McLaren management which has left boss Zak Brown furious.
From 43 points to seven in three rounds
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The flash point has contributed to how McLaren's lead over Red Bull has disappeared. After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Red Bull scored 33 points while neither McLaren scored as the team's lead dropped from 76 to 43 points.
Max Verstappen then won in Sepang and again in Singapore. McLaren started the Singapore weekend on 316 points and left it on 339. Red Bull left on 332.
The Sprint is where Norris's mistake comes in. The gap, which was 11 points after Saturday's race, but then shrank to seven. Team principal Andrea Stella also tied the damage directly to the fight with Red Bull, speaking to the media after the Sprint.
We had the ambition to challenge Ferrari and this is a problem in the challenge to the second position and we have an ambition to finish ahead of Red Bull and this is a problem to finish ahead of Red Bull.- Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal
No more Sprints for McLaren to make up the points
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McLaren will not get another Sprint to win the points back either, with six races remaining in 2026 in Austin, Mexico City, São Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Seven points is a small gap over that many Grands Prix, especially since McLaren's form is dropping.
Palmer: punishment could depend on the final table
That raises the question of whether Norris will face consequences inside the team. Former F1 driver turned pundit Jolyon Palmer thinks Norris could still be punished, especially if McLaren drop behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship.
Speaking on Channel 4, Palmer recalled that Norris had to "pay a penance" inside the team after last year's Singapore contact. That was cancelled after McLaren decided Piastri was to blame for the pair's clash in the Austin Sprint. Palmer doubts anything this year will be harsh, though:
And yet you wonder if there's going to be any lasting ramifications that McLaren might… I don't know, I'm only thinking it will be small.- Jolyon Palmer, Channel 4
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The next round is the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Whatever McLaren decides internally, the constructors' table may settle the matter in the end. If McLaren keep third, Norris's mistake cost points. If Red Bull pass them, Anderson's estimate puts the cost at $10 million.
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