Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg criticised Lando Norris for making a big mistake during the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix when he collided with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. The incident happened late in the race in Montreal as Norris attempted an overtake on Piastri while they fought for fourth place.
The collision forced Norris to retire due to damage, while Piastri managed to finish in fourth position. Norris immediately acknowledged his error on team radio, apologising for what he called a “stupid” move. Rosberg described the collision as a very unusual mistake given Norris’s normally disciplined driving style.
Details of the Collision Between Norris and Piastri
During the exciting final laps, Norris launched a strong attack into the hairpin, which Rosberg praised as an impressive move. However, the follow-up was where things went wrong. Rosberg was puzzled by Norris’s decision to remain at full throttle despite no clear gap to complete the overtake.
“First of all we’re thankful to McLaren to let them race. There was a lot of excitement and it was an amazing battle to watch the two of them go head-to-head,”
Rosberg said.
“Lando did an amazing first lunge into the hairpin, that was beautiful. Then afterwards it was just very strange the mistake that Lando made. Super super strange.”
He added,
“It’s just one more mistake of the many, and this is a big mistake. He really committed, he doesn’t back off or anything, he just stays full on throttle which is also a bit strange.”
Rosberg summarised the misjudgment with,
“Full commitment and there’s no gap there, so it’s a bit awkward.”
McLaren’s Response and Path Forward
Despite the collision, Rosberg believes McLaren can quickly move past the incident because Piastri was not at fault. He emphasised that the situation requires discussion rather than blame, as it was a misjudgment by Norris.
“This is not too difficult to sort out because Piastri for one is completely aside, he’s not done anything,”
Rosberg explained.
“Lando and Andrea just need to have a talk to him and just understand. You don’t even need to blame because it’s a misjudgement, you need to go through it and understand.”
Concerns Over Norris’s Mental State After the Incident
Rosberg expressed worry that Norris might fall into a negative mindset following the collision. Known for being self-critical, Norris could spiral into doubting his own performance.
“The thing is that it also becomes a little bit traumatic at some point because you also start spiralling negatively down and down,”
Rosberg noted.
“You get this reputation of ‘I’m making mistakes, I’m not good enough, I’m making mistakes’ and it starts to get to you in your head.”
Reflecting on his own experiences, Rosberg said,
“I’ve been through this and it gets really dark and especially when you make a mistake like today where everybody can see it and you hit your teammate.”
He concluded,
“It’s difficult for Lando to get out of that one.”
