The F1 community continues to debate the penalty handed to Oscar Piastri at the 2025 British Grand Prix, after stewards published a full technical breakdown explaining why the McLaren driver was hit with a 10-second sanction at Silverstone. T
he ruling not only affected the fight for victory between Piastri and Lando Norris, but has also become one of the most discussed topics in the paddock following a dramatic weekend in Northamptonshire.
The penalty was the turning point of the race, as Piastri had been leading his teammate in changing conditions before serving the time penalty during his final pit stop. That handed the advantage to Norris, who went on to claim his first home victory, with Piastri forced to settle for second despite his strong performance.
F1 stewards provided a detailed account of their decision-making process, citing a combination of data points and visual evidence gathered during the decisive moment after the second safety car period at Silverstone.
“The Stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence,” the official statement read. “When the clerk of the course had declared that the safety car was coming in that lap and the lights were extinguished.
“Car 81 suddenly braked hard (59.2 psi of brake pressure) and reduced speed in the middle of the straight between T14 and T15, from 218 kph to 52 kph, resulting in Car 1 having to take evasive action to avoid a collision. This momentarily resulted in Car 1 unavoidably overtaking Car 81, a position which he gave back immediately.”
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Key Article and Data at the Heart of the Decision
According to the FIA Sporting Regulations, Article 55.15, any driver leading the pack after the safety car lights are switched off must proceed at a pace that does not involve erratic braking or any manoeuvre that could endanger other competitors.
In their explanation, the stewards made it clear that Piastri was found to have contravened this rule when he slowed dramatically and without warning on the Hangar Straight.
“What Car 81 did was clearly a breach of that article. In accordance with the penalty guidelines, we imposed a 10 second time penalty to Car 81,” the stewards concluded.
The incident, which unfolded between Turns 14 and 15, saw Piastri slow from 218 kph to 52 kph using significant brake pressure – 60 PSI – an action that left Max Verstappen behind him with no choice but to take evasive action, briefly overtaking the McLaren before immediately returning the place as per the rules.
The timing and severity of the penalty quickly became a major talking point in the post-race interviews. While Piastri was measured in his reaction, he admitted his frustration, saying he would avoid commenting further to prevent risking an additional penalty for criticising officials.
