The Singapore Grand Prix should have been McLaren’s perfect story. Their first Constructors’ Championship in 34 years. A dominant season sealed under the glowing lights of Marina Bay. But within minutes of the chequered flag, confusion spread faster than champagne on the podium. Oscar Piastri was missing from the celebrations, Zak Brown’s radio message was abruptly cut off, and social media erupted with one big question — was there trouble brewing inside McLaren?
As it turns out, the internet’s conspiracy theories were way off. What looked like tension was, in reality, a comedy of timing, logistics, and F1 protocol.
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The clash that started it all
The story began seconds after the race started. Max Verstappen squeezed into Turn 3, forcing Lando Norris to take evasive action — straight into his teammate, Piastri. The contact sent the Australian into the wall. Though both continued, Piastri’s frustration spilled over the radio.
“Running into your teammate to avoid another car is a shitty job of avoiding it,” he snapped.
Fans immediately sensed friction. The tense radio, his absence from the podium celebration, and a seemingly ignored message from Zak Brown later in the race only fueled speculation that Piastri and McLaren were at odds. But peel back the layers, and none of it was as dramatic as it appeared.
A celebration McLaren didn’t plan for
Inside McLaren, there was cautious optimism heading into Singapore. The team knew the Constructors’ title was possible, but they didn’t want to jinx it by planning too far ahead. The last thing they wanted was a big celebration jettisoned by an unexpected result.
So, there were no fireworks or grand plans — just a modest idea for a photo in the pit lane after the race.
Then Formula One Management (FOM), eager to capture the historic moment for global broadcast, changed the script. They orchestrated a spontaneous “championship ceremony” immediately after the regular podium event. It was meant to highlight the team, not the drivers. But that simple shift in plan set off a chain of confusion that social media mistook for drama.
Why Norris ended up celebrating alone
After the top-three ceremony, George Russell, Verstappen, and Norris were heading to their media interviews when McLaren’s crew was suddenly ushered toward the pit wall for the unscheduled team celebration. Norris found himself swept up in the moment, joining Zak Brown and Andrea Stella as “We Are the Champions” blared through the night.
Meanwhile, Piastri — who finished fourth — was nowhere near the scene. He was following the FIA’s standard post-race schedule: car inspection, weigh-in, and then an immediate round of interviews with international broadcasters. Ironically, the TV monitor behind him showed his own team’s podium celebration happening live.
By the time he finished, the ceremony was long over. The optics were awkward — one driver basking in glory, the other watching from the sidelines — but the reason was procedural, not personal.
The missing radio message
Then came the next controversy. Moments after the race, Brown’s radio message to Piastri was broadcast live but abruptly cut off.
“Oscar, you’re the champion for the second year in a row! It was a tough race, but thank you…”
Then silence.
Cue the internet detectives. Fans speculated that Piastri had ignored his boss. Theories about “team tension” exploded on Reddit and X. But the truth was painfully simple — and very F1.
After the race, drivers are required to completely shut down their cars before stepping out. That process kills all onboard systems, including the radio link. According to RacingNews365, McLaren later confirmed that Brown’s congratulatory message was sent after Piastri’s car had already powered down. He never heard it.
In other words: no snub, no drama — just bad timing.
The real celebration
Once both drivers finished their media duties, McLaren regrouped in the pit lane for the originally planned photo session. Piastri was there. Norris was there. The entire team was there. The only one missing this time was Zak Brown — who had to leave early for a flight.
In the end, it was pure coincidence: Norris was at the podium but Piastri wasn’t; Piastri was at the team photo but Brown wasn’t. What fans perceived as tension was actually just logistics. The internet filled in the blanks with drama because F1’s live coverage had left too many blanks open.
For McLaren, it was a reminder that in 2025, even celebrations can turn into scandals if they’re caught at the wrong camera angle. What mattered most was that both drivers were present for the moment that counted — the quiet, champagne-sticky photo where everyone in orange smiled for the team that finally conquered Formula 1 again.
