I don’t get it – Oscar Piastri bemused by sanction as Silverstone bid fails

Oscar Piastri claimed he was robbed of victory at the British Grand Prix after he insisted his penalised move was “well within the rules”.

Piastri dropped behind eventual winner Lando Norris after he was forced to serve a 10-second penalty when he decelerated from 135mph to just 32mph on the Hangar Straight ahead of a safety car restart.

The stewards accused Piastri of “erratic driving” and said Max Verstappen, who was running second at the time, had to take “evasive action to avoid a collision”.

But Piastri said: “I felt it was well within the rules, and I did it once already in that race. I don’t really get it.

“I hit the brakes, and at the same time as I did, the lights went out on the safety car. I didn’t accelerate because I can control the pace from there.

“I didn’t do anything differently to my first restart. I didn’t go slower. I don’t think Max had to evade me. So I am a bit confused to say the least. I know I deserved a lot more than I did today and when you don’t get the result you deserve, it hurts.”

After Piastri served the penalty and fell behind Norris he issued a desperate plea with the McLaren pit wall to trade places with his team-mate.

However, McLaren rebuffed his approach and Piastri continued: “I knew what the answer was going to before I asked. But I just wanted a small glimour of hope that I could get it back but I knew it wasn’t going to happen.

“Lando didn’t do anything wrong so I don’t think it would have been fair to swap, but I thought I should ask. It doesn’t change much for the championship. I felt I did a good job and I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races.”