Annoyed Oscar Piastri bites tongue after penalty costs him British GP lead

Oscar Piastri was visibly angry as he removed his helmet after a challenging British Grand Prix. Finishing second behind his team-mate Lando Norris, the Australian was given a 10-second penalty for erratic braking behind one of several safety cars.

On lap 21, behind the second safety car of what was a chaotic race at Silverstone, Piastri appeared to brake heavily on the Hangar Straight, resulting in complaints from Red Bull driver Max Verstappen directly behind him. The Dutchman was taken aback by the sudden deceleration as he swerved to avoid Piastri’s gearbox.

“Whoa, mate ****, he just suddenly slows down again,” Verstappen radioed to his team as Piastri was given a costly ten-second penalty. Taking it during a pitstop, the driver was passed by Norris, who finished at the top of the podium. 

Speaking to Jenson Button directly after the race, Piastri was clearly agitated. 

“Yeah, I’m not gonna say much. I’ll get myself in trouble, so… well done, to Hulkenberg. I think that’s the highlight of the day, so… yeah, I’ll leave it there,” Piastri said, clearly biting his tongue.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

He was pressed further on the incident.

“Yeah, I mean, apparently you can’t brake behind the safety car anymore. I mean, I did it for five laps before that and… again, I’m not gonna say too much ’cause I’ll get myself in trouble.

“But thanks to the crowd for a great event. Thanks for sticking through the weather. I still like Silverstone, even if I don’t like it today – so thanks for coming out.”

The conversation continued in the cooldown as Piastri explained the penalty to Nico Hulkenberg.

“I got a 10-second penalty for braking behind the Safety Car. I hit the brakes basically as the lights went out on the Safety Car, so then I didn’t accelerate, and apparently that gets you a 10-second penalty.”

Piastri had dominated the race up until that point, taking the lead from the reigning champion who started at the front of the grid and looking for his fifth win this season. But while he drove a commanding race, his efforts were ultimately thwarted for the most part.

The points gap between Norris and Piastri now sits at just eight points as the Briton slowly claws back his confidence after a successful Austrian campaign a week ago. 

Zak Brown commented to Sky Sports following the race.

“The safety car seemed like it was called in a bit late. The leader controls… I think Max accelerated, Oscar braked, which made it look worse than it was. The telemetry didn’t look like it looked on TV. But it is what it is.

“I think any time you get into these penalties, there’s an element of subjectivity. I think when they’re pounding on the brakes, they’re 130-140 PSI, so trying to get temperature in the tyres, it’s wet, late call – a close one.”

Photos from British GP – Race