Oscar Piastri was unrepentant over his clash with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1‘s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which saw him pick up a race-changing 10-second time penalty.
The Australian, who started fourth, made a bold dive-bomb attempt on the Italian’s Mercedes at Turn 1 upon resumption of racing after a Virtual Safety Car period.
Antonelli, who was sandwiched between the McLaren and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, was left with little room as Piastri, a fraction behind the rookie’s front axle as they turned, tagged the Mercedes and pitched it into Leclerc’s path.
The contact saw minimal damage for Antonelli, but the subsequent contact with Leclerc saw the Ferrari retire immediately with suspension damage.
With Antonelli having to take to the grass at Turn 2, Piastri moved up into second place behind eventual winner Lando Norris.
But after a period of deliberation, Piastri was handed the penalty by the stewards for causing the incident and went on to finish in fifth as a result, leaving him 24 points behind Norris.
After the race at Interlagos, Piastri, as he did on track, gave no quarter off of it, and felt the decision was harsh, and had no regrets about the manoeuvre.
“In my opinion I had a very clear opportunity up the inside, I went for it,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“Yes, there was a lock-up, but I was firmly on the apex on the white line – I couldn’t go any further left, and I can’t just disappear.
“So, the decision is what it is; it was one of a number of difficult moments through today and this weekend. I wouldn’t have done anything differently if I had another chance.”
‘I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go’ – Piastri pushes back on penalty decision
When asked if he felt he was losing ground in that moment, Piastri agreed, but on the basis that both Antonelli and Leclerc went into Turn 1 with a lot of heat.
“I’d say I was losing ground, yes, but that was because, I think, the other two were braking very late,” he recalled.
“It was a bit damp on the inside, so I was probably a bit cautious with that, but when you’re on the outside, you can take much more liberty and again, there was a lock-up.
“But I think the fact I managed to keep it stuck up the inside white line with a lock-up… I was pretty firmly in control if I can keep my line, so it is what it is.”
Piastri accepted the decision but continued to firmly explain why he felt he had been wrongly penalised, countering that he was out of room and firmly in control.
“No matter what way you look at that, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go, because when you have that good of a run into Turn 1 and you’re fully alongside, you’re not just going to back out,” he said.
“I think to try and go in any deeper than I did would have been ambitious, and I was where I was, so I think in that scenario, if I was clearly understeering and missing the apex and then hit Kimi, sure I’d understand, but the fact that I was as far left as I could’ve gone makes it tough.”
READ MORE – Charles Leclerc: Kimi Antonelli ‘as much to blame’ as Oscar Piastri for F1 Brazil GP collision
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