Oscar Piastri left the Belgian Grand Prix of Formula 1 frustrated after a touch with Charles Leclerc in the early laps of the race. The McLaren driver had his front wing damaged in the battle for third position, but saw the opponent escape any punishment from the stewards.
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The incident happened on lap eight, when the Australian tried to overtake the Monegasque on the outside at the entrance of Les Combes, after the Kemmel straight. During the defense, the Ferrari driver moved the car towards the rival, causing the contact that damaged the McLaren. Despite this, the stewards understood that there was no reason for a penalty, stating that Piastri’s front axle was not ahead of Leclerc’s car in the corner and that the Monegasque did not deliberately try to push the opponent off the track.
After the race, Oscar avoided asking for a direct penalty for Charles, but stated that the decision sets a dangerous precedent. “From my position, I was on the white line and was squeezed. I think we were very lucky not to have a bigger accident, because we touched wheels practically at the start of the braking zone.”
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“Honestly, I don’t know where I should have gone. I’m not saying it necessarily had to be a penalty, but at least a black and white flag or something like that, because if we understand that this is acceptable, one thing is to have a touch like this. Another is to encourage that you can leave the absolute minimum space for others and get away with it. It’s not a very pleasant situation.”
Compromised by the damage suffered in the incident, Piastri finished the race only in fifth position, while Leclerc crossed the finish line in second place.
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