P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Our writers give their verdict on whether McLaren’s Oscar Piastri deserved the safety car penalty that cost him victory in F1’s 2025 British Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri was upset about losing a probable 2025 British Grand Prix triumph to his Formula 1 competitor and McLaren teammate Lando Norris due to a 10-second penalty for driving unpredictably behind the safety car. McLaren decided against contesting the decision by F1 stewards, opting to accept it graciously, according to team principal Andrea Stella’s statement. Piastri’s claim that McLaren should have instructed Norris to switch positions if they believed the penalty was unjust raises questions about whether Piastri deserved what occurred and how it impacts the 2025 title race, with Norris now just eight points behind at the halfway point of the season. Piastri’s driving behavior behind the safety car was scrutinized by F1 journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm, who suggested Piastri might have been unlucky, but based on the stewards’ explanation, he was in the wrong. Despite Piastri’s stellar performance in the race’s first half, his penalty became a decisive factor rather than a minor issue, handing Norris a victory that commentator Ben Anderson deemed as questionable considering the circumstances and Piastri’s ultimate loss of a probable win due to what appeared to be an avoidable misstep. Finally, Glenn Freeman praised Piastri’s attempt to convince McLaren to change positions in response to the penalty as a team’s responsibility to defend against any penalties handed to their drivers.
