McLaren’s Andrea Stella Questions Penalty Given to Oscar Piastri
McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella has expressed his concerns over the penalty given to Oscar Piastri during the Brazil Grand Prix, calling it “harsh.” He believes that the young driver was not solely responsible for the incident involving Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.
During the race, Piastri was penalized with an additional 10 seconds after colliding with Antonelli, who was then hit by Leclerc. The collision occurred when Piastri took the inside line at Turn 1, where three cars were running side by side. According to the stewards, Piastri was “wholly responsible” for the incident due to not being fully alongside Antonelli and because he locked up during the maneuver.
However, Piastri and Leclerc have both disputed this decision. Leclerc remarked that Antonelli “did the corner like Oscar was never there,” a sentiment that Stella echoed.
“In terms of the penalty, I would say that was definitely on the harsh side,” Stella said. “Oscar did experience a little lock-up, but at the same time, he was able to maintain the trajectory which is ultimately what counts.”
Stella also pointed out that the responsibility should be shared with Antonelli, as he was aware of Piastri’s position on the inside. “Kimi knew that Oscar was on the inside, and the collision probably could have been avoided,” he added. “Perhaps Kimi was also worried about having Leclerc on the outside—this was a difficult situation, obviously.”
“However, I think overall the penalty is harsh for Oscar, to be considered fully to blame for this incident. At the same time now it’s done, so I reiterate the respect that we have for the stewards, we accept it, we move on.”
Piastri finished fifth in the race, while his teammate and title rival Lando Norris won from pole position. This result extended Norris’s championship lead to 24 points with three rounds remaining.
Norris has made a remarkable recovery from a 34-point deficit after the Zandvoort race. In the six grands prix since then, he has secured two wins and three additional podiums, compared to no victories and just one podium for Piastri.
When asked if it is now Norris’s title to lose, Stella responded: “For me, the only way I look at the classification is to go one race at a time and make sure that we maximise the points we score.”
“While it could be a good exercise to talk about Formula 1, which is fair, to look at the combination, it’s now a championship that Lando owns, he doesn’t own, it’s so academic, like we… we, from a driver’s point of view, team point of view, we just have to make sure that we stay focused on ourselves and focused on executing weekends like Lando has executed here in Brazil or in Mexico.”
“And for instance with Oscar, make sure that our opportunities are capitalised. Honestly, when it comes to the points we will take a look at the end of Vegas and we will see where we are and likewise after Qatar and Abu Dhabi.”
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