Piastri feels ‘fortunate’ rivals ‘did the talking’ after Brazil penalty

12:36, 20 Nov

Updated: 12:44, 20 Nov

byBen Winship

Oscar Piastri appears to have found his rival's comments reassuring as he hopes to discuss his Brazil GP penalty with the FIA.

“When my co-driver involved in the accident says it's not your fault, I think that's a pretty good indication.”

- Oscar Piastri

The McLaren driver was given a 10-second penalty at Interlagos after the race stewards deemed him responsible for a collision on the safety car restart involving Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc’s Ferrari succumbed to damage incurred to his left front wheel, while Antonelli and Piastri raced on to finish P2 and P5 respectively.

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After the race, Leclerc felt both Antonelli and Piastri have equal responsibility for the incident, which left him out of the race on just the third lap.

Speaking ahead of the Las Vegas GP Piastri said: “I think fortunately for me, a lot of people have done the talking for me.

“When my co-driver involved in the accident says it's not your fault, I think that's a pretty good indication.”

Along with the 10-second penalty, Piastri received two penalty points on his super license, taking his total to six.

piastri-antonelli-leclerc-collide-brazil

The turn 1 incident left Leclerc out of the race - Photo: Race Pictures

Further clarification needed

Piastri outlined that he hopes to speak to the FIA about their decision during the Las Vegas GP weekend.

“It's something that I'm sure we'll talk about with the FIA, just to get some more understanding.

“I think it was a bit of a surprise for everyone. Clearly, the penalty was so harsh, myself included.

“I'm sure we'll talk about it. The only thing you can do in these situations is try to learn the reasoning and the thinking behind it and whether that needs to change or not. They have been very receptive to that in the past and I'm sure there will be in the future.”

Piastri finished P7 in last year's Las Vegas GP - Photo: RacePictures.

The incident has been discussed widely throughout the F1 world in the two-week gap between Brazil and Las Vegas.

Gunther Steiner was surprised that the McLaren team did not approach the stewards after the race.

Meanwhile former Williams ace Juan Pablo Montoya argued the clash should have been deemed a racing incident.

As the 2025 season heads into a season-ending triple-header in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Piastri sits 24 points behind teammate Lando Norris in the drivers standings.

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