Lando Norris accused of ‘Mario Kart’ role in Oscar Piastri’s crash
George Russell makes cheeky joke about Lando Norris's role in his teammate's crash.
George Russell has jokingly pointed the finger at Lando Norris for using “Mario Kart” tactics during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race.
Norris extended his championship lead to nine points as he won the sprint race in Brazil while McLaren teammate and chief title rival Oscar Piastri crashed out in damp conditions.
Piastri lost control of his McLaren and spun off into the barriers after hitting a puddle on the exit kerb of Turn 3, before Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crashed in the same spot.
Replays showed that Norris had run slightly wide and thrown water onto the track moments before his teammate’s accident, though the Briton was able to keep his McLaren pointing in the right direction.
Explaining the nature of the kerb at Turn 3, Norris said: “It’s a kerb you always use in quali. We use it a lot.
“Obviously, when it’s wet conditions like this, you want to stay off all the kerbs. I ran a little bit wide and I saw the water come onto the track, but that was it.”
Russell, sat alongside Norris in the post-race FIA press conference, couldn’t resist a cheeky joke.
“A little bit like Mario Kart when you throw the banana out behind,” he quipped, before adding: “Smartest guy on the grid, this guy!”
Russell finished third behind Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who reported that Norris had sprayed water onto the track over team radio.
"I was just trying to stay away from the kerbs during the whole race, because it was very, very tricky, especially at the beginning," Antonelli explained.
"So especially when I saw him [Norris], lifting water, I tried to take a bit more care, just to avoid any spin or moments, because it was really crucial to make it tidy in order to make it through as well.”
Piastri rues ‘silly mistake’
Piastri suffered another blow to his hopes of winning a maiden world championship with his costly crash.
The Australian labelled the incident a “silly mistake”.
“I just dipped a wheel on the white line of the kerb and around I went,” he said.
“A silly mistake really, an unfortunate mistake, so that’s it.
"There's a lot more points on offer tomorrow, so the better job I can do in Qualifying to get a good starting spot, the better it will be.”
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