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WATCH: Field of Dreams finalistsMcLaren launch probe after "harsh" Piastri blow ruins title hope
SEN • November 11th, 2025 12:45 pm
McLaren have decided against challenging the 10-second penalty handed to Oscar Piastri at last weekend’s Brazil Grand Prix which attributed to another nightmare weekend for the Australian who has fallen further behind in the title race.
Piastri was slapped with the sanction by the stewards six laps into the Sao Paulo race, after a collision on a safety car restart saw the 24-year-old collide with Kimi Antonelli who subsequently crashed into Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
The latter was a total innocent party in the turn 1 chaos at Interlagos but the contact ended his race.
The penalty denied Piastri a podium finish with fifth the best he could muster. A result which leaves him 24 points behind teammate Lando Norris with just three races and a sprint left this season.
The 10-second penalty in Brazil proved rather controversial with a number of drivers and experts voicing their frustration with the stewards' decisions.
Even McLaren team boss Andrea Stella admitted it was “harsh” but that the team would not be pursuing any appeal.
"In terms of the penalty, I would say that definitely on the harsh side," Stella said.
"Oscar, it’s true, we see a little lock-up, but at the same time, he’s able to maintain the trajectory which is ultimately what counts.
"We respect the decision of the stewards, and we need to take it on the chin and look forward. Now it’s done, so I reiterate the respect that we have for the stewards, we accept it, we move on."
According to the stewards report, Piastri was “wholly responsible" for the collision, despite onboard vision show that Antonelli was clearly aware of Piastri’s presence on his left and he should have granted space.
“I think the responsibility should be shared with Kimi because Kimi kind of knew that Oscar was on the inside and the collision probably could have been avoided,” Stella added.
"Perhaps Kimi was also worried of having Leclerc on the outside. A difficult situation obviously, but I think overall the penalty is harsh for Oscar to be considered fully to blame for this incident."
Former driver and Sky pundit Martin Brundle is the latest to add his voice to the chorus of people saying the penalty was wrong.
"The problem for Oscar is that the initial optics didn't look at all good in that he'd locked up, hit Antonelli's rear axle with his front," Brundle wrote in his race weekend column.
"Skittled two cars including one into instant retirement, and gained two places. The Stewards decided he was 100 per cent at fault and dished out a 10-second penalty and two points on his licence, which leaves him with six of the permitted 12 before a race ban.
"That was very harsh, there was a clear mitigating circumstance that he was squeezed by the Mercedes, and that this action contributed to his lock up and contact, It would have been easy to justify reducing that to a five-second penalty - as Oscar said, 'I can't just disappear'."
Instead of crying foul to the stewards, Stella said the priority at McLaren was to focus on what was going so wrong for Piastri who has not been on the podium since September.
While Norris enjoys a surge in form, the Australian is struggling at tracks notorious for having less grip.
It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for both drivers amid conspiracy theories of preferential treatment and sabotage within the team.
Adding to the pressure of both drivers chasing the world title, Max Verstappen has moved to within 49 points of Norris and 25 of Piastri.
In august the four-time world champion was more than 100 points off the pace.
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