After leading the F1 drivers’ standings for a few months, the Australian McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri’s season has gone from perfect to disastrous suddenly. The Aussie finished fifth at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, with teammate Lando Norris overtaking him in the drivers’ standings following the Aussie also crashing at the Sao Paulo Sprint race hours before the main race.
At the Autodromo Jose Carlo Pace, it went downhill for Piastri. Race officials slapped him with a 10-second time penalty for a collision involving Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli on lap six of the race. This led to the Aussie then colliding with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s car, causing extensive damage to his car, forcing him to retire from the race.
After the race, Leclerc deplored the decision to penalise Piastri. “I do agree, we have a rule book and I think… the stewards are always trying to do their best to look at the rule book and to try understand who is the one to blame,” Leclerc highlighted.
“In this case, I really think Kimi knew and was aware that Oscar was on the inside. Yes, he was not side-by-side, which is the way it’s written in the rule book, but you cannot really do a corner like nobody is on the inside if someone is on the inside, no matter how far [up] he is.”
“So, for me, it is a bit more of a fifty-fifty blame with Kimi and Oscar. I don’t think Oscar deserved all the blame there.”
While Leclerc showed a soft side for Piastri, the Italian didn’t bemoan Piastri’s incident. “I tried my best to give space to both,” said Antonelli. “Then, to be fair, I didn’t really see the crash. I just know Oscar locked up. “Just at the apex, I got hit.”
The Aussie, on the other hand, emphasised that the other drivers braked late and that Kimi wouldn’t give him space.
“I had a very clear opportunity, I went for it. The other two on the outside braked quite late,” said the Australian. “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.”
Oscar Piastri will now be turning his attention to the Las Vegas Grand Prix and hoping for a podium finish, which kicks off on Sunday, November 23.
