Jamie Chadwick, the three-time W Series champion, has described the pitlane collision involving McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as “super clumsy.” The incident occurred during the second practice session ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, resulting in damage to Norris’s car and raising concerns about current penalty measures. Chadwick emphasized the need for stricter repercussions following the Lando Norris pitlane clash to prevent similar incidents from compromising drivers’ sessions.
Details of the Pitlane Collision Before Singapore GP
During FP2 at Marina Bay, Charles Leclerc collided with Lando Norris inside the pitlane, forcing Norris into the wall and damaging his front wing. Although the Briton avoided a lengthy delay, his vehicle required repairs before he could continue. Chadwick criticized the situation as avoidable, highlighting that such accidents should rarely happen given the controlled environment of a pitlane.
“Yeah, it’s super clumsy, the kind of thing that shouldn’t really happen. It does happen sometimes, surprised it doesn’t happen more often, but yeah, Charles can’t really do anything here,”
Chadwick said. She explained that Leclerc was mostly blind to Norris’s approach and only noticed him at the last moment.
She elaborated,
“He’s blind to the oncoming cars, he’s seen it very last minute there, but you’re so reliant on the person that’s sending you from the garage, that’s the person you look at.”
“As soon as they say it’s clear, you go, he’s gone straight into the path of Lando. Nothing Lando could do, not much Charles could do, but I think they’ll be getting a hefty fine, maybe even a penalty.”
— Jamie Chadwick, W Series Champion
The Need for Stricter Penalties in Pitlane Incidents
Chadwick highlighted that incidents like this pitlane clash can have serious consequences on a driver’s weekend, especially if damage ends their session prematurely. She stressed that even though the fault may not be entirely on the driver, the team responsible for clearing the pitlane should bear much greater responsibility to discourage reckless decisions.
“They need to consider it. So Lando did front wing [damage] then, fortunately, he didn’t lose much time in that session,”
Chadwick noted, adding that unresolved damage could compromise the rest of a driver’s weekend if not caught in time.
“If that was any other situation — if, on-track, Charles had crashed into him, he probably would get a penalty for the rest of the weekend.”
“So even though it’s not Charles’s direct fault, I think there needs to be some more onus on the team and a bigger deterrent for that reason.”
— Jamie Chadwick, W Series Champion
Practice Session Highlights at Marina Bay
Aside from the Norris-Leclerc pitlane clash, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin led the first practice session’s timing at the Singapore Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri, Norris’s teammate at McLaren, topped the second practice session.
