Oscar Piastri shares a defiant response to getting a 10-second penalty in the F1 Brazilian GP

Oscar Piastri's already-dipping season suffered another jolt, as he was handed a 10-second race penalty and two superlicence points after an aggressive restart move on Lap 6 at the São Paulo Grand Prix. After the chequered flag, he defended the move and explained why he pushed.

The incident collected Kimi Antonelli and sent Charles Leclerc into retirement. The stewards said that Piastri was wholly to blame because he did not establish the necessary overlap on the inside and locked up while trying to avoid contact. The Australian served the time penalty during a long pit stop and recovered to finish the race in P5.

When asked if he regretted the attempt, Piastri told Sky Sports:

"No, I don't think so. I had a very clear opportunity, and I went for it. The other two on the outside braked quite late. There was obviously a bit of a lock-up into the corner, but that's because I could see Kimi was not going to give me any space. I can't disappear, but the decision is what it is."

On lap six, the race had just restarted after Gabriel Bortoleto’s crash. Oscar Piastri dived down the inside of Antonelli into Turn 1, fighting for P2. He never got his front axle firmly alongside Antonelli’s mirror at the apex, as per the rules in an inside overtake, and locked his fronts under braking.

The contact pushed Antonelli into Leclerc, breaking the SF-25’s front suspension as he stopped on Turn 3 with heavy damage and retired. The stewards’ summary stated that Piastri attempted the pass without the required overlap and that his lock-up caused the collision that resulted in Leclerc's DNF.

The punishment was consistent with recent precedents, they added. The McLaren driver served the penalty during a 13.5-second pit stop on Lap 39, which cost him track positions. Two other drivers also picked up five-second penalties: Yuki Tsunoda and Lewis Hamilton, for separate infractions.

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Lando Norris dominates while Oscar Piastri hangs on to the title fight in Brazil GP

Lando Norris (4) and Oscar Piastri (81) of McLaren during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil. Source: Getty

Lando Norris converted his pole into a commanding victory, as McLaren played the calls well. He stopped earlier than Oscar Piastri and executed a tidy 2.2-second pit stop that put him back into clean air. He then opened up a gap that reached around ten seconds at stages and finished comfortably. That result has extended his championship lead and handed McLaren a big weekend.

Piastri’s race after the penalty was about damage limitation and pace management. He extended his first stint and switched to softs on Lap 39. The 10-second penalty ruined any late-race shot at the podium. Still, he drove clean laps, kept tire life under control, and finished fifth behind Norris, Kimi Antonelli, and Max Verstappen. Speaking on his title changes, the Australian added:

"Today, the penalty was one thing, but I don't think the pace was at a level that I wanted it to be. The second half of the race was potentially not too bad but the first stint was a little bit tough. Just trying to get back on top of things with that and have the best weekends we can."

The championship picture now reads Lando Norris further in front with 390 points, with Oscar Piastri (366) and Max Verstappen (341) chasing, with four rounds left.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam