Why Was Piastri Penalised But Russell Wasn't?

Lando Norris led a McLaren one-two to triumph his first location title astatine nan British Grand Prix.

His team-mate Oscar Piastri was starring earlier he was handed a 10-second punishment for driving erratically down nan information car.

There is now a three-week break earlier Formula 1 heads to information 13 astatine nan Belgian Grand Prix from 25-27 July.

BBC Sport F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your latest questions aft nan title astatine Silverstone.

Why was Oscar Piastri penalised astatine Silverstone erstwhile George Russell wasn't for his actions down nan information car successful Canada? Is nan quality that 1 was successful nan bedewed and truthful visibility limited? - Nick

This is simply a mobility Piastri was intelligibly asking himself aft nan British Grand Prix, moreover if he did not opportunity truthful successful rather truthful galore words.

Consistency of stewards' opinions is thing teams and drivers are perpetually asking for, and connected nan look of it this does look for illustration a contradiction.

The 2 incidents were very similar. In Canada, Russell braked and Max Verstappen passed him. At Silverstone, Piastri did nan aforesaid pinch nan aforesaid result.

In Canada, nan stewards took nary action, and rejected a post-race protestation from Red Bull. At Silverstone, Piastri mislaid nan triumph arsenic a consequence of a 10-second penalty.

There were immoderate differences, however. The brake unit Piastri applied, while perfectly normal for a braking arena down a information car, was much than double Russell's. And nan conditions were different - bedewed alternatively than barren - pinch nan reduced visibility that came from that.

Verstappen made it clear he did not position nan incidents that differently, however.

After Sunday's race, he was asked if he thought Piastri deserved a penalty.

"The point is that it happened to maine now a fewer times, this benignant of scenario," Verstappen said. "I conscionable find it unusual that abruptly now Oscar is nan first 1 to person 10 seconds."

Because location was nary quality to what Russell did successful Canada?

"Well, to nan stewards, yes," Verstappen replied.

Piastri said he felt he had done everything wrong nan rules, and implied he had been unlucky to beryllium braking astatine nan aforesaid clip nan information car lights went retired to bespeak a restart - nan clip aft which drivers are not allowed "erratic braking nor immoderate different manoeuvre which is apt to endanger different drivers".

Red Bull squad main Christian Horner said: "I wasn't amazed to spot him get a penalty. That was what you would expect."

McLaren squad main Andrea Stella said he felt nan punishment was "very harsh" and he would talk it pinch nan stewards.

He said McLaren had made nan constituent during nan title it should beryllium looked astatine afterwards.

"I deliberation we should person checked successful item nan sentiment of nan drivers involved," he said. "We should person checked why nan information car was called successful truthful precocious and past put together each nan elements specified that nan determination could beryllium arsenic adjacent arsenic possible."

If no-one has crashed, aliases moreover gone connected to bedewed tyres, past by what meaning is nan way unsafe? Is F1 a fair-weather athletics now? - Martin

The mobility does not make it clear which peculiar portion of nan British Grand Prix it is referring to, but each 3 times nan information car aliases virtual information car was deployed, it was because of a safety-related situation.

The virtual information car was erstwhile Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto collapsed and past pulled disconnected nan track.

The first afloat information car was deployed erstwhile conditions were astatine their absolute worst. No-one had gone off, but nan rainfall was highly dense and visibility was almost non-existent.

These days, it is visibility that usually defines whether officials - and drivers - see conditions excessively vulnerable for racing.

And nan 2nd afloat information car, which followed very soon aft nan restart, was because of a crash. Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar had collapsed into nan backmost of Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes - wholly unsighted successful nan spray - and gone disconnected astatine Copse.

The car needed to beryllium recovered - hence nan information car. But nan incident itself alternatively proved nan constituent of why nan first information car had been deployed successful overmuch worse conditions a fewer laps before.

Charles Leclerc is often called nan fastest man successful F1 complete a azygous lap, but his title results haven't mostly lived up to that level for immoderate time. Is it conscionable that Ferrari person been incapable to springiness him a car to regularly compete since he has been pinch nan team, aliases is it clip for an uncomfortable speech astir his racecraft? – Tom

When you look done nan information connected nan offset betwixt Leclerc's conversion complaint of poles to wins, almost each clip he has grounded to do truthful it has been because of an rumor to do pinch nan car aliases team.

Of people location are a mates of exceptions, wherever location has been a driver error, but they are a very mini minority.

Leclerc is not arsenic rounded a driver arsenic Max Verstappen - fewer are - but location is nary interest astir his expertise successful races.

It's very clear his exceptional qualifying shape is down to his singular expertise complete 1 lap, and that rather often puts him successful grid positions that are intolerable to prolong successful a race, wherever nan mean car capacity is harder to disguise.

On Sunday, yes, he made nan incorrect prime successful pitting for slick tyres astatine nan extremity of nan statement lap, but truthful did 3 different drivers, including George Russell.

Both Ferrari drivers talked aft nan title astir how difficult nan car was to drive., external

Great to spot nan re-emergence of McLaren - really connected world did they find nan measurement backmost to nan glory days? An workout successful patience, finance aliases engineering excellence? – Chris

We person explored this communicative successful extent before, and you tin publication astir it here.

The short type is nan revival started pinch Zak Brown's assignment successful precocious 2016 arsenic executive director. He was made main executive serviceman of McLaren Racing successful early 2018.

He started nan restructuring of nan team, opening pinch sorting retired its commercialized footing.

There was a clip erstwhile nan squad was successful superior financial plight. Brown has done a singular occupation compiling an awesome scope of financial backers. The squad has gone done a fewer phases of method restructure, and nan infrastructure has been built up complete a fewer years, including a caller upwind passageway that came connected watercourse past year.

But nan cardinal alteration Brown made was making Andrea Stella squad main astatine nan extremity of 2022 - a determination he made erstwhile he allowed his predecessor Andreas Seidl to spell to Sauber/Audi.

Stella - pinch Brown arsenic sounding committee - decided connected different restructure, 1 of nan cardinal parts of which was returning Peter Prodromou to his position arsenic method head responsible for aerodynamics. Prodromou - a erstwhile cardinal lieutenant of Adrian Newey - had been sidelined previously.

McLaren started nan 2023 play pinch a car that was nan merchandise of nan erstwhile activity and were adjacent to nan back.

Within six months, an upgrade had been put connected nan car that made it Red Bull's closest rival. It was 1 of nan astir singular turnarounds ever seen successful F1 and, since then, they person gone from spot to strength.

Two much cardinal upgrades followed - successful Singapore successful 2023 and Miami successful 2024 - since erstwhile McLaren person been nan astir consistently accelerated team.

The recruitment of Rob Marshall - besides a erstwhile workfellow of Newey - from Red Bull for nan commencement of 2024 was different important move.

And Stella's wise, considered, calm, erudite, thoughtful activity has had a powerful effect connected nan squad successful a number of ways, including its inclusive culture.

Now, nan method activity of Prodromou and his chap method board Mark Temple (performance) and Neil Houldey (engineering), on pinch Marshall, twinned pinch nan incisive activity of Brown and Stella - 2 very different characters, who complement each different highly good - has them flying.

They are besides a remarkably unfastened team, without nan closed-off defensiveness of galore of their rivals (Mercedes excepted). It has been astir awesome to witness.