Rula Rouhana/Reuters

Oscar Piastri Seethes Over ‘Ridiculous’ British GP Penalty

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Samriddhi Jaiswal | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 2:04 PM ET

Oscar Piastri was visibly frustrated after the British GP, branding his controversial penalty behind the Safety Car as effectively ‘ridiculous’ though he chose his words carefully to avoid an even bigger storm.

The McLaren driver crossed the line in second at Silverstone, only to be slapped with a 10-second penalty for allegedly braking too sharply as the Safety car lights went out.

That infringement cost him any realistic shot at hunting down Nico hulkenberg for the win and left him simmering when questioned post-race.

“I’m not going to say much. I’ll get myself in trouble,” Piastri told Sky Sports F1, barely concealing his irritation. “Apparently you can’t brake behind the Safety Car anymore. I did it for five laps before that. I still like Silverstone, even if I don’t like it today.”

In the cooldown room with P3 holder Nico Hulkenberg, Piastri offered a blunt explanation: “I got a 10-second penalty for braking behind the safety car. I hit the brakes basically as the lights went out, so then I didn't accelerate — apparently that gets you a 10-second penalty.”

oh my god i dont think i have ever seen him this angry pic.twitter.com/2ZUud7oKbr
— oscar piastri supporter (@piastriszn) July 6, 2025

McLaren boss Zak Brown had earlier suggested on Sky Sports that it was a messy situation. “That was a bit of a late Safety Car call in,” Brown said. “The leader controls the pace. I think it looked a little bit more dramatic on TV than it was on telemetry.”

Despite the setback, Piastri still salvaged a valuable podium for McLaren and kept his cool enough to avoid a war of words with the FIA. But his thinly veiled frustration says it all, he knows this one got away.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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