Piastri frustrated after penalty costs him British GP win and chips away title lead

A couple of races ago, it looked like Oscar Piastri was firmly on course to win the World Championship with McLaren, but after Sunday’s dramatic outing at Silverstone, the young Australian showed that he is human after all.

It was the first time this season fans and fellow drivers saw any real emotion from the usually composed 24-year-old, who openly vented his frustrations over a steward’s decision that cost him victory.

Piastri had been leading the race but was hit with a 10-second time penalty for braking “erratically” behind the safety car. The penalty allowed his team-mate Lando Norris to capitalise, taking the win and narrowing the championship gap from 15 points to just eight.

The incident occurred after the safety car was deployed following a crash involving Isack Hadjar. Piastri, travelling at over 200 km/h, suddenly slowed to around 60 km/h in rainy conditions, causing Max Verstappen — behind him — to take evasive action.

Despite the setback, Piastri still managed to claw his way back to second place in tricky conditions, ensuring a dream one-two finish for McLaren. But he didn’t hold back in the post-race press conference.

“I’m not going to say much, I’ll get myself in trouble. Apparently, you can’t brake behind the safety car any more,” he said.

“It obviously hurts at the moment. A different sort of hurt, because I know I deserved a lot more than I got today. I felt like I drove a really strong race. It hurts — especially when it’s not in your control.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella took a more diplomatic stance, defending the FIA Race Director’s decision while calling for improved communication.

“The decision was a bit harsh,” Stella admitted. “But the FIA have a difficult job to do. They try their best to be consistent, and there are many different scenarios that change with subtle differences.

“It is always difficult to make the right calls, whether you're a steward, the FIA, or a team. What is important is that we keep the dialogue going. We’ll have a good conversation with the FIA and the stewards, and we’ll see how this situation could have been interpreted differently.”

According to race regulations, the race leader must maintain a pace that “involves no erratic braking nor any other manoeuvre” that could endanger other drivers once the safety car lights are switched off.

Piastri’s rapid deceleration may have been viewed as a breach of this rule — hence the penalty.

Despite the disappointment, the Australian still leads the World Championship standings, though his cushion over Norris has been reduced.

As for McLaren’s internal title battle, CEO Zak Brown reaffirmed the team’s commitment to letting both drivers race freely.

“We still promote fair competition between both drivers,” he said over the weekend.

With McLaren more than 200 points clear of Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings, the fight for both titles looks increasingly like a two-horse race — with Norris and Piastri neck and neck.