Formula 1: Piastri Fumes At Costly Silverstone Penalty, Says Apparently You Can't Brake Anymore

Oscar Piastri was furious after a 10-second grid penalty for a safety car infringement cost him victory at the British Grand Prix and cut his lead in the drivers' championship. 

Piastri lost out to McLaren team-mate Lando Norris at Silverstone, as the Brit became the 36th different driver to win a Formula One race in their home country.

But it was Piastri who showed superior pace to overhaul pole-sitter Max Verstappen and lead the way in wet conditions, until a controversial incident on lap 22.

As he prepared to restart after the second of two early safety cards, Piastri applied his brakes and forced Verstappen into first.

Amid the confusion, Piastri made his move and Verstappen spun out of contention, dropping all the way to 11th before recovering to finish fifth.

The FIA swiftly hit Piastri with a 10-second penalty for erratic braking, a decision the Australian described as "unfair" as he called for Norris to trade positions late in the race.

That request understandably fell on deaf ears, and a seething Piastri later claimed he had handled both safety car restarts identically. 

"Apparently you can't brake behind the safety car anymore," he told Channel 4. "I did it for five laps before that. I'm not going to say too much because I'll get myself in trouble.

"Thanks to the crowd for a great event. Thanks for sticking through the weather. I still like Silverstone, even if I don't like it today."

Pushed by Sky Sports to explain his issue with the FIA's decision, Piastri said: "I can't be bothered. There's no point. I can't change it. 

"I did exactly what I did at the first restart, and apparently one was a penalty and one wasn't. I'm still surprised.

"I don't really understand. I need to look back and see but I didn't think I did anything differently, or anything wrong.

"The team did a great job. We had an absolute rocketship of a car today. With all the safety cars being thrown at us, to win by such a big margin is a great achievement."

Piastri's lead in the drivers' championship standings is now just eight points, with Norris earning back-to-back victories for the first time in his career.

The Australian has only won one of the last six races – triumphing at the Spanish Grand Prix – after winning four of the previous five.