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F1 drivers demand change after "unacceptable" Piastri farce
Emily Benammar • November 21st, 2025 9:17 am
Senior F1 drivers have demanded urgent discussions with the FIA in the wake of Oscar Piastri’s ridiculous penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Australian driver copped a 10-second penalty after stewards deemed him entirely responsible for a collision on the sixth lap of the race in Sao Paulo a fortnight ago.
Piastri made contact with Kimi Antonelli and the impact forced the Mercedes driver into Charles Leclerc which subsequently ended the Ferrari driver’s race.
Replays show the penalty was entirely harsh and that Piastri was in control of his care when the incident occurred.
Leclerc and other drivers leapt to the 24-year-old’s defence in the immediate aftermath of the race and some experts cast doubt on why Antonelli had not been sanctioned.
The penalty hindered Piastri’s chances of finishing on the podium and also increased the gap between him and Lando Norris in the race for the world title.
With the F1 circus in Las Vegas for round 22 of the season, Carlos Sainz has slammed what stewards did to Piastri.
“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,” the Spaniard said.
“Honestly, for the category that we are in and being the pinnacle of motorsport.
“I’m not going to explain why, I think you all guys saw what happened. I think everyone who has 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.
“I’m not sure what the solution is. It is very clear for me that after what I saw in Brazil, something’s not quite working if we have to judge that as a 10-second penalty for the guy that had no fault for anything that he did.”
Piastri is 24 points behind Norris in the drivers’ standings and four-time champion Max Verstapppen is creeping up behind them in third.
It is expected that drivers will meet with the FIA ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season which also offers an additional eight points with the sprint.
One saving grace from the chaos in Brazil for Piastri was that his peers had gone into bat for him.
“Fortunately for me, a lot of people have done the talking for me,” he said.
“I think when one of my fellow drivers is involved in the accident and says it’s not your fault, I think that’s a pretty good indication.
“It’s something that I’m sure we’ll talk about with the FIA, just to get some more understanding.
“I think it was a bit of a surprise for everyone here that this penalty was so harsh, myself included. So I’m sure we’ll talk about it.”
