“Couldn’t be happier for Lando, couldn’t be happier for the team, but disappointed for Oscar for sure, he drove an unbelievable race,” added McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown.
Piastri’s penalty was for braking behind the second Safety Car ahead of the restart, when he was trying to build a gap as the lead car. The stewards deemed him guilty of “erratic” braking and handed him a 10-second time penalty, which cost him the lead.
“We certainly gave our input to the Race Direction, especially related to the fact that we felt the Safety Car was called in relatively late,” Stella explained.
“This didn’t give much space for the leading driver to take control of the group and go with the restarting procedure. So, we think overall the penalty was harsh… At the moment there is not much we can do, we just need to take it on the chin.
“A tough one for Oscar as he drove very well today, very well. But it is just the midseason, many more opportunities and I think this will give Oscar even more motivation.”