Verstappen left puzzled: why was Piastri penalized at Silverstone but not Russell in Canada?

19:10, 06 Jul

Updated: 09:49, 07 Jul

Co-author:Tobia Elia

byNicole Mulder

Max Verstappen was surprised to hear that Oscar Piastri had been given a penalty for their incident behind the Safety Car during the British Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver pointed to a similar situation with George Russell in Canada that went unpunished.

At Silverstone, Piastri suddenly hit the brakes behind the Safety Car, which led to Verstappen overtaking him.

Not long after, the Dutchman lost control on cold tyres and spun, dropping several positions. It wasn’t until after the race that Verstappen learned Piastri had been handed a ten-second penalty—something he felt was a bit harsh.

Verstappen surprised: no penalty for Russell, but one for Piastri

"I only found out after the race that he got one," says Verstappen in the presence of GPblog and other media post-race. "No one told me during the race. The thing is that it happened to me now a few times, this kind of scenario. I just find it strange that suddenly now Oscar is the first one to receive 10 seconds for it."

When asked if he is implying there was a difference with what happened in Canada — where George Russell slowed down in a similar manner behind the safety car — Verstappen responds briefly: "Well, to the stewards, yes [there was some difference]."

Verstappen went straight to Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber after the race to congratulate him, as the two share a good relationship. The German had just secured his first-ever podium in Formula 1 and was understandably over the moon.