McLaren boss Andrea Stella has claimed that responsibility for Oscar Piastri and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s clash in Formula 1‘s Sao Paulo Grand Prix “should be shared”.
The Australian driver was reprimanded by stewards for causing a collision with the Mercedes driver at Turn 1 upon racing resuming after a Virtual Safety Car.
After a poor reaction, Antonelli found himself swamped by Piastri’s McLaren and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, the former on the inside.
Piastri was alongside Antonelli, but upon braking into the corner, there was no more room and contact was made, sending Antonelli sideways and into the path of Leclerc.
The secondary contact caused Antonelli to stay facing the right way – albeit taking to the grass – with Leclerc suffering irreparable front suspension damage, causing him to retire.
Piastri gained second place, but after some examination of the incident, race control handed him a 10-second penalty.
After the race, Piastri defended his role in the clash, saying he was “firmly on the apex,” adding that “I can’t just disappear”.
Leclerc also took umbrage with Antonelli, saying he was “as much to blame” for the incident as Piastri.
Speaking to media including Motorsport Week, Stella believed the penalty was “harsh,” and that Antonelli was indeed partly to blame for the contact.
“I would say definitely on the harsh side,” he said. “It’s true, we see a little lock up, but at the same time, he’s able to maintain the trajectory, which is ultimately what counts. I think the responsibility should be shared with Kimi, because Kimi kind of knew that Oscar was on the inside, and the collision probably could have been avoided.
“Perhaps Kimi was also worried of having Leclerc on the outside. A difficult situation, obviously, but I think overall, the penalty is harsh for Oscar to be considered fully to blame for this incident at the same time.”
Stella added: “Now it’s done, so I reiterate the respect that we have for the stewards. We accept it, we move on.”
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