Lando Norris takes full accountability in shock Oscar Piastri clash development

Lando Norris has taken full accountability and responsibility for the collision with McLaren team-mate, and Formula 1 title rival, Oscar Piastri in the Singapore Grand Prix. 

On the opening lap of the Singapore race, Norris dived up the inside of Piastri at Turn 2, but clipped the rear of Max Verstappen's car.

This contact with the Red Bull tipped Norris to the right and into the front-left wheel of Piastri, who was irate over the radio and requested a swap-back of positions.

This did not happen as the Australian finished fourth to Norris's third, with the Briton trimming Piastri's lead in the drivers' championship to 22 points with 174 remaining across the final six rounds.

Speaking ahead of the United States GP, Norris described how discussions between the team and the drivers had left him being held "accountable", which is a position he described as "fair."

"Well, it has got nothing to do with you guys, but of course there were talks, which were inevitable, and the team held me accountable, which I think is fair," Norris told media, including RacingNews365. 

"Then we made progress from there on, understanding what the repercussions were for myself and to avoid something definitely worse happening than what did. 

"As I said after Singapore, this is the last thing I want to happen is to cause these kinds of controversial talks after the race, and I put just as much risk of putting myself out of the race as whoever I am racing against, whether it is Oscar or anyone else.

"So it is clearly something I want to avoid, and it has been one of my strengths since coming into F1, of avoiding contact in general and keeping myself in the race. 

"One thing we've done well as a team is using and progressing the framework that we have to allow both of us to trust each other and the team, and that's why we're a stronger team than anyone else."

When questioned further by RacingNews365 as to why McLaren had decided to hold him accountable, given it had initially cleared him at Marina Bay, Norris explained that the contact between the cars was key. 

"Well, the simple answer is that there was contact between the two cars and that's something which we always want to avoid," he said.

"The rule is not to crash into each other. This wasn't a crash; it was much smaller, but we still don't even want to get to that point, because it causes these types of things, and that is never good.

"In the end, I think the understanding is that it is racing, it is always difficult to be perfect, I didn't want what happened to happen, but I'm never going to let go of an opportunity like there was.

"There was a gap, I went for it, and what happened, happened, but nothing changes from how we go racing, it is just that the team and I want to avoid these types of things happening because there was contact between the two McLarens. 

"Like us, Zak [Brown] and Andrea [Stella] don't want that to happen, and as team-mates, we don't want that to happen, so of course, that is the reason I was held accountable."