The Brazil GP 'skill test' that Piastri failed but Verstappen passed

19:08, 13 Nov

Updated: 19:45, 13 Nov

byOwen Bradley

Ex-F1 driver, Jolyon Palmer, has revealed the reasons why Oscar Piastri crashed out of the Brazilian sprint race, whilst Max Verstappen was able to continue.

It's a skill test. Can you keep it on the road?

- Jolyon Palmer

Conditions at last weekend's Brazilian sprint race were incredibly tricky, with standing water in certain parts of the circuit, whilst the rest of the circuit remained dry. The track was especially difficult on entry to Turn 3, where some water had collected on the inside kerb.

Lando Norris came through the first few corners complete unscathed, but did throw up the water on the inside of Turn 3, almost catching Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli out. Piastri on the other hand, was not quite so lucky, losing control of his MCL39 and spinning into the barrier, retiring from the race.

This corner proved difficult however, with Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto also crashing into the barrier just after Piastri.

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Max Verstappen was also caught out by the water, losing control of his RB21 temporarily before catching the car, and continuing on in the race.

Jolyon Palmer analysed this incident, and explained: "The millimetres matter, and your absolute level of skill matters as well. Your reactions, your car control.

"If we watch Verstappen come through, he's also going to head over onto the kerb in a similar sort of zone to Piastri. There's your spray. For Max now, it's a big slide. It's a massive moment for him. Heart in mouth. He's almost going to be the first car to follow Oscar into the barriers, but he manages to control it."

Palmer continued: "It's another example of Verstappen's great driving talent and skill, innate to keep himself going. It's so easy for the drivers to do that. Three of them doing it on the same lap shows that it's not simply a dozy mistake. It's something that they're all pushing on the limit of."

piastri-antonelli-leclerc-collide-brazil

Antonelli, Leclerc and Piastri collide - Photo: Race Pictures

The consequences of this crash for Piastri were relatively severe, with the Australian coming into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix one point behind team-mate Norris, he left the sprint race 9-points adrift, and lost another chunk of points during the race itself on Sunday after contact with Kimi Antonelli meant that Piastri picked up a 10-second penalty.

The Australian's championship aspirations took a hit, as Piastri finished the Grand Prix in fifth place, and now sits 24 points adrift of Norris, whilst only 25 points ahead of Verstappen.

Piastri has only taken one victory since returning from the summer break, at the Dutch Grand Prix, and has not stood on the podium since the start of September, at the Italian Grand Prix.

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