F1 stewards receive 'too rigid' accusation after Oscar Piastri penalty

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes the stewards in Brazil followed their rules “too rigidly” when assessing the incident involving Oscar Piastri.

The McLaren driver was involved in a clash with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc in the early stages of the São Paulo Grand Prix.

Piastri was deemed at fault for the clash that saw Leclerc eliminated from the race and was handed a 10-second time penalty, which was served at a pit stop.

The Australian defended himself after the race and recieved support from Palmer, who suggested Piastri was entitled to more space.

“As Piastri said after the race, you can’t just disappear when you are on the inside of someone,” Palmer wrote in his F1 column.

“Once drivers hit the brakes, they are committed to their position.

“You can release the brakes to carry more speed but it’s pretty much impossible to just brake harder and jump out of the way.

“Any more brake inputs or steering inputs once drivers are committed to the corner will cause a front lock-up, and that’s exactly what happened to Oscar as he tried to avoid the collision.
“In my opinion, and speaking as a former driver, it seems to be a case of the racing guidelines being followed too rigidly. 

“I want to see drivers giving each other space and racing wheel-to-wheel through corners, not just dashing for an apex or chopping across others because they ‘own the corner’.”

Piastri ended the race in fifth place while team-mate Lando Norris went on to seal victory.

It offered a major boost to the Briton's title chances, as it leaves him 24 points clear in the drivers' championship.