David Coulthard reveals the message he sent his ‘buddy’ Lando Norris when McLaren driver hit 2025 low point

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Lando Norris could well leave the Belgian Grand Prix in the lead of the Formula 1 world championship. The McLaren driver is eyeing a third consecutive victory this weekend.

Norris has won three of the last five overall and can go level with teammate Oscar Piastri on five for the season. He picked up maximum points across the Spielberg/Silverstone double-header.

Piastri’s 10-second penalty for a safety car breach effectively handed Norris victory on home soil, but this was a mistake from the usually flawless Australian, and it opened the door. Equipped with a revised front suspension that has improved his feeling with the car, his colleague looks revitalised.

There are 33 points on offer at Spa, the third Sprint weekend of 2025. If Norris wins both races, then he will at the very least wipe out Piastri’s eight-point championship lead.

David Coulthard urged Lando Norris to ‘move on’ from Oscar Piastri crash

Norris’ response to colliding with Piastri in Canada was always likely to be season-defining. McLaren had long been bracing themselves for this kind of incident.

And when it happened, the Englishman was at fault. He acknowledged as much on the radio, and received a five-second penalty from the stewards.

With Piastri finishing fourth in that race, the gap grew to 22 points. But Norris has been flawless since.

Speaking to The Telegraph, former McLaren driver David Coulthard revealed the message he’d sent Norris after that race. He urged him not to catastrophise.

“I sent Lando a message just going ‘buddy, you’re not the first McLaren driver to take his team-mate out’. Just learn from it and move on,” Coulthard said.

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Teammates for 99 races, Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen crashed at the 1999 Austrian GP. The polesitter dropped to the back of the field after the Scotsman tagged the rear of his car.

Returning to 2025, it feels inevitable that the tension will increase in the second half of the season. The prospect of Max Verstappen or George Russell entering the fight has receded.

It will more than likely be a straight head-to-head between Norris and Piastri. But Williams driver Alex Albon is confident McLaren can manage the atmosphere.

While both are chasing their first world championship, Albon doesn’t think there will be ‘fireworks’. The Belgium/Hungary back-to-back will determine the mood heading into the summer break.