Oscar Piastri penalized three places on the grid at Imola
The McLaren driver should have started second on the grid at the Imola Grand Prix. In the end, he was penalized for getting in the way of Kevin Magnussen in Q1.
It’s the one downside to an almost perfect weekend so far for Oscar Piastri. After very good sessions throughout the weekend, he even came very close to securing pole position, falling short by less than a tenth of Max Verstappen. He was also the fastest in FP3: the Australian driver naturally had ambitions for the Grand Prix on Sunday. He will finally start 3 places further back: in fifth position.
Penalized for obstructing Magnussen in Tamburello
At the very end of Q1, Kevin Magnussen, who was last, was on his final fast lap to try to qualify for Q2. Oscar Piastri was leaving the pits and slowed down between turns 2 and 3, which hindered the Haas driver, almost losing control. The situation, deemed avoidable and especially dangerous, led the stewards to penalize the driver.
« Traffic management for slower cars is an extremely important element of the driver/team combination, especially in Q1. In this case, the Stewards determine that the lack of sufficient warning caused unnecessary obstruction. » The commissioners underline the lack of communication between the engineer and his driver, as the latter was unaware that Kevin Magnussen was approaching rapidly from behind.
The McLaren driver will have to perform a great race on Sunday to make it to the podium. The circuit is known for not making overtaking easy. A penalty that comes at a high cost.
