FIA Confirms Contentious Penalty for McLaren Following Intense Drama in Austin
The FIA Upholds Controversial Penalty Against McLaren After Intense Drama in AustinMcLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri has been penalized by the FIA at the US Grand Prix.
The sport’s governing body investigated the young Australian racer’s maneuver involving Pierre Gasly’s Alpine during Saturday’s Sprint race. Furthermore, his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, was summoned by the stewards following a late incident with the Ferraris in what turned out to be an eventful race.
The 23-year-old faced a disadvantage at the start of the sprint due to an unforeseen early exit from Friday’s qualifying. His lap time was invalidated for exceeding track limits, resulting in his elimination during SQ1.Starting the race from 16th position was far from perfect for the young star, making it much more difficult to drive his papaya car to a point-scoring finish.
The team at the top of this year’s constructors’ championship will need to earn every possible point at COTA over the weekend as they strive to keep reigning champions Red Bull at bay and hold onto their lead in the 2024 standings.FIA Penalizes Piastri Following an assessment of Car 81’s risky maneuver, the FIA has handed Oscar Piastri a five-second penalty. They determined that he pushed Pierre Gasly off the track at Turn 12.
During Sky Sports’ commentary on this incident, pundit Ted Kravitz jokingly stated: “The stewards are investigating Piastri and Gasly… I’m surprised they can even tell them apart,” referring to Alpine’s distinct livery for the US GP weekend which closely resembles McLaren’s papaya colors at first glance.
Both McLaren drivers successfully claimed positions in the top 10, even with Piastri’s penalty. However, only the fastest eight drivers earn points in a sprint race. Formula 1 offers thrilling entertainment from 24 amazing locations around the world; for all live coverage, watch exclusively on Sky Sports by clicking here.
