The FIA have confirmed that Oscar Piastri has received an additional punishment at the Brazilian Grand Prix in a major blow to the F1 title challenger.
Piastri was under pressure in Sao Paulo, with his team-mate Lando Norris securing a crucial win in Saturday’s sprint race and pole for Sunday’s grand prix, as the Aussie’s title hopes continued to slip away.
Following the safety car restart on lap six, Piastri attempted a dive on the inside of Kimi Antonelli to clear the Mercedes in front of him and chase his team-mate for the lead.
The Aussie locked up and made contact with Antonelli however, who in turn collided with Charles Leclerc on the right, forcing the Ferrari star to retire due to suspension damage.
FIA announce further punishment for Piastri
Piastri was then placed under investigation for causing a collision and was awarded a 10-second time penalty from the stewards.
This was not to be the only punishment for Piastri however, with the McLaren star also given two further penalty points for the incident.
According to the FIA’s official decision document, Piastri was deemed wholly responsible for the collision and the 10 seconds, alongside two penalty points, were ‘considered appropriate and consistent with recent precedents.’
With the two penalty points from the Brazilian Grand Prix, Piastri is now on six penalty points, with his next set of points expiring in December after the Abu Dhabi finale.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Piastri remarked on the incident that earnt him the penalty, and said: “I had a very clear opportunity, I went for it.
“The other two on the outside braked quite late. There was obviously a bit of a lock-up into the corner but that’s because I could see Kimi was not going to give me any space.
“I can’t disappear but the decision is what it is.”
Norris’ victory in Brazil sees him strengthen his championship lead ahead of Piastri, with a huge gulf of 24 points separating the pair.
