Oscar Piastri’s brutal penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix has prompted a call for an urgent review into the driving guidelines that impact how F1 cars go racing.
Piastri was dealt a 10-second time penalty at Interlagos for a three-way collision between himself, Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, who was forced to retire.
The Australian was alongside Antonelli on the inside but ran out of room at the apex, which led to him striking the Mercedes who rebounded into Leclerc’s Ferrari.
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The penalty saw Piastri deemed to be purely at fault despite the fact Antonelli had some room on his right-hand side that he could’ve used to help avoid contact.
The F1 world was near-unanimous in saying Antonelli was at least partly to blame with even Leclerc fingering the Mercedes driver after his retirement.
Now Sainz has thrown his weight behind Piastri, using his press conference at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Thursday to speak out.
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“The blame is not all on Oscar!” | 00:36
“I think we need urgently a catch-up and try and solve it because for me the fact that Oscar got a penalty there in Brazil is unacceptable, honestly, for the category that we are in and being the pinnacle of motorsport,” he said.
“I’m not going to explain why, I think you all guys saw what happened.
“I think everyone that seen racing knows that that is not Oscar’s fault at all. Everyone else who has really raced a race car knows he could have done nothing to avoid an accident there.
“There’s been not one but multiple incidents this year that are, for me, are far, far from where the sport should be.”
1.15pm — ‘We still have a joke’
Championship leader Lando Norris shed light on his relationship with Piastri while speaking in his press conference.
He revealed that despite the escalating tension of the title race, the pair remain on good terms.
“When we step out the car, [Piastri and I] still have a joke, have a laugh about things away from the track,” he said.
“We are very different people, he is very calm, relaxed, always seems quite cool – which I admire, he is very plain sailing, you can’t tell what mood he is in!
“We are still different people but in terms of relationship, we still get along well.”
Piastri involved in chaotic crash | 00:40
1pm — Norris eyeing big step towards maiden world title, Verstappen on slim hope
Norris arrives in Las Vegas this week full of confidence after back-to-back wins and in control of the Formula One world championship race as he eyes a maiden title.
The Briton boasts a 24-point lead in the drivers’ standings over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri heading into Sunday’s race after a remarkable turnaround in form.
Australian Piastri, who was 34 points clear after winning the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31, has failed to even post a podium finish in the past five races.
But the 26-year-old is not taking anything for granted yet.
“They’re just strong results, which is exactly what I need, exactly what I’m fighting for every single weekend and every day,” he said in Brazil.
“So just very pleased, but it’s still a long way to go. So no point getting too happy or excited just yet.”
Norris cannot secure the world championship crown this weekend but he could end the title defence of Max Verstappen.
The four-time defending champion charged back into contention but is now 49 points adrift despite a thrilling drive to finish third two weeks ago, having started the race from the pit-lane.
Verstappen is unlikely to go down without a fight, but a Norris win would officially end his hopes if he finishes third or lower in Vegas.
“We’ve got to be realistic. Over the whole season, we’ve not been good enough, but we will keep on trying to win races and see what happens,” said the Dutchman.
He added: “At one point we had a points gap of over 100, and then we overturned a lot of that, so I think we can be proud of some good results towards the end of the season.”