F1 rival questions McLaren crash tactics after Hungarian Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, McLaren, British GP, Britain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Hungarian Grand Prix

F1 rival questions McLaren crash tactics after Hungarian GP

The McLaren stars went wheel-to-wheel at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 5 August 2025 10:57

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George Russell has asked the question over some cheeky crash tactics for his F1 rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris after he watched their tense on track battle at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Brit achieved his sixth podium finish in 2025 at the Hungaroring on Sunday, overtaking Charles Leclerc whose sudden spectacular form in the Ferrari instantly dropped off.

However, all eyes were on the McLaren battle at the front during the closing stages of the grand prix, as Piastri attempted to catch Norris who had leap-frogged ahead of him on the one-stop strategy.

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As Piastri attempted an ambitious overtake down the inside of Turn 1, the Australian backed out of the manoeuvre and locked-up to avoid contact with his team-mate.

Third place finisher Russell rewatched the incident with the McLaren pair in the cooldown room at the end of the race, where he made a cheeky suggestion which would have led to the pair crashing - and of course the Mercedes star acquiring the race win.

“Why didn’t you T-bone him? That would have been great!” Russell joked.

McLaren duo avoid collision at Hungarian GP

Oscar Piastri was unable to catch Lando Norris

Thankfully, for the sake of Zak Brown and Andrea Stella's blood pressure, Norris and Piastri did not come together at the Hungarian GP, with the pair largely managing to avoid contact in 2025.

Despite their intense battle for the championship, Norris and Piastri have only come together once, when the Brit crashed into his team-mate during the closing laps of the Canadian GP.

While Norris retired from the race, Piastri managed to remain running and scored an advantageous extra 12 points over his team-mate in Montreal.

McLaren have allowed their drivers to race freely in 2025, a decision that has become increasingly validated with the thrilling battles Norris and Piastri have provided.

In Austria and Hungary, Piastri has battled his team-mate for the lead without resulting in a incident, and the team have been rewarded with seven one-two finishes in 2025.

McLaren possess an unassailable lead in the constructors’ championship, and are nearly 300 points ahead of Ferrari in second, with Piastri’s gap to Max Verstappen extended to nearly 100 after the Hungarian GP.

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