On the McLaren pit wall, situated at the end of the home straight in Montreal, they’d have literally felt the shudders and vibrations. The moment their two drivers and championship contenders collided and the moment the ill-titled “papaya rules” first creaked, in a manner only a crash at 200mph can do.
The post-mortem was actually very prompt and concise. Oscar Piastri, to the relief of the entire team, was unimpacted. He finished fourth, to conclude a damage limitation weekend. Team principal Andrea Stella put the incident simply down to a “miscalculation”. And Lando Norris, in a matter of seconds, took full blame for driving up the back of his teammate, cutting short his race and costing him 10 points in the title fight.
