A former Formula 1 racer has argued that Oscar Piastri’s penalty at the British Grand Prix was overly severe, sparking intense discussion over its fairness. The McLaren driver received a 10-second time penalty for braking under Safety Car conditions while leading the race at Silverstone, a decision that allowed his rival Max Verstappen to avoid collision and ultimately cost Piastri the win.
Piastri, who headed the championship at the time, was left frustrated as his teammate and title contender Lando Norris claimed victory. This controversial moment has since attracted support from former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, who believes the penalty was disproportionate to the incident.
Jolyon Palmer criticizes severity of penalty on Piastri
On the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer expressed doubt that Piastri committed a serious infraction. He explained that Piastri simply applied reasonable braking pressure while slowing the car under the Safety Car restart and backed up the field accordingly. Palmer emphasized that the action did not pose a dramatic threat to other drivers.
He noted that Piastri had performed a similar braking maneuver just four laps earlier, which nearly caused more issues for drivers behind, such as Nico Hulkenberg, yet the FIA chose not to intervene on that occasion. Palmer described the ruling later in the race as unnecessarily harsh given the apparently minor nature of the offense.
“I don’t think he has done anything extraordinarily wrong,”
Jolyon Palmer said.
“I just don’t see it as a major moment.”
—Jolyon Palmer, former F1 driver
Palmer further added that penalties for this type of infraction are historically rare, stating:
“We have been following this sport for a long time. Can you remember a single penalty for this infringement before? I can’t.”
He emphasized that Piastri lost a race win over a situation that caused no real disruption, highlighting the lack of intent or advantage gained by the driver.
“Then he loses a British Grand Prix win? I can feel his frustration.”
—Jolyon Palmer, former F1 driver
Comparison to George Russell’s Safety Car incident in Canada
The debate extended to a similar event involving George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix, where Red Bull protested that Russell had driven erratically under Safety Car conditions. This protest was ultimately dismissed, even though it was confirmed that Russell applied about half the braking force that Piastri used at Silverstone.
Palmer defended Piastri by analyzing braking data, noting that the brakes were applied at roughly 60 PSI during the incident, consistent over multiple laps and well below the cars’ maximum braking capability. He pointed out that while Russell braked less forcefully, that case was not penalized, which raised further questions about consistency.
“He didn’t brake as hard as he could, that’s clear. I looked at the data,”
Palmer said.
“Max, before, was braking at 60 PSI and was able to stop.”
—Jolyon Palmer, former F1 driver
Current standings and upcoming race context
Despite the setback at Silverstone, Oscar Piastri remains ahead in the F1 driver standings, holding an eight-point lead over Lando Norris. The championship battle intensifies as the season heads toward the Belgian Grand Prix, scheduled for the following weekend.
As tensions run high, the penalty controversy highlights ongoing debates about race control decisions and their impact on drivers’ championship hopes.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Is Oscar Piastri’s family rich?
A. Oscar’s racing career got a boost thanks to his dad, Chris Piastri. Chris co-founded HP Tuners, a top automotive software company worth around $35 billion. This success provided about $6.5 million in support, helping Oscar reach Formula 1.
