Lando Norris hits new F1 low as McLaren ruling 'decided'

Lando Norris

Lando Norris hits new low as McLaren ruling 'decided'

Lando Norris collided with his team-mate Oscar Piastri in Montreal

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 20 June 2025 19:48 Updated: 12:53

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Lando Norris has hit a new low after the Canadian Grand Prix according to a former F1 driver, who also claimed McLaren would have made an internal ruling on their driver lineup as a result.

Throughout the 2025 season, Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri have traded race wins, with the Australian in the lead of the F1 championship since the Saudi Arabian GP, steadily emerging as McLaren’s star driver.

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Piastri’s command of the championship stands in stark contrast to 2024, where Norris was undoubtedly McLaren’s leading figure after taking the title fight to Max Verstappen.

However, as the pair battled for fourth place at the Canadian GP last weekend, Norris attempted a bold move on Piastri and the pair collided, with the Brit ending up in the wall and out of the race.

Speaking on Sky Sports Germany’s podcast Backstage Pit Lane, former driver Ralf Schumacher shared his opinion on McLaren’s driver lineup, suggesting that the team have already decided internally that Piastri is the man to lead them to world title glory.

"I believe that it has now been decided internally that Piastri is the man on whom the team will focus in terms of the World Championship," he said.

"Lando shows too many weaknesses and makes too many mistakes. And then there was that pointless rear-end collision with Oscar in Canada. He did apologise and that shows what a great person he is. But it doesn't help, because great people rarely win titles," Schumacher declared.

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Norris immediately apologised over team radio for the incident with Piastri in Montreal, and admitted he was the driver to blame.

However, Schumacher labelled the crash as a ‘low point’ for the 25-year-old, and claimed Norris’ main adversary in the championship is his own mentality.

"That's the low point now, because he's lost his nerve a bit. You have to hand it to him, he was once again faster than Piastri," Schumacher continued.

"He didn't get it right in qualifying, but in the race he closed the gap and was simply better. He still has the speed, especially in the race.

"Norris has this sensitivity when it comes to the stress on the tyres. In Prost's day, they would have called him a professor. The only problem is in Lando's head."

Following the Canadian GP, Norris now sits 22 points behind Piastri in the drivers’ standings and whilst the championship is not out of reach, Schumacher suggests the Brit needs to concentrate on himself.

"What Lando needs now is peace and quiet. He doesn't need advice from outside. The more that comes from outside, the more the media does, the more it does something to him," he concluded.

"Every person is different. I always say: “You can't turn a cow into a tiger”. Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses. Lando knows that he can do it, but he also knows that he can throw it away in a corner with one small mistake. That's what works inside him."

Papaya fans will have to hold their breath for the rest of the season to see if Andrea Stella or Zak Brown introduce team orders, but for now, McLaren have admitted the need to 'review' their driver dynamic following the clash in Canada.