Oscar Piastri could be facing a penalty at the Italian Grand Prix: here’s why.
FP2 at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix brought not only on-track action but also plenty of attention from the FIA stewards, who flagged two separate incidents—one involving the current World Championship leader.
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17:55 – Attenzione: Oscar Piastri è stato convocato dagli steward sul caso. Si attendono dunque ore calde, e non per il tramonto di Monza…
Piastri under the spotlight: what happened
According to a radio message from Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri (McLaren, World Championship leader) may have committed an infraction under red flag conditions. The Australian reportedly accelerated before the green flag was waved, just after marshals had cleared Kimi Antonelli’s car from the barriers at Lesmo 2.
While the car had already been removed from the gravel, Verstappen claimed that Piastri’s initial acceleration happened before the race director officially resumed the session.
This could play against him, as precedent exists: back in Bahrain, George Russell and Antonelli faced grid penalties (one place drop) for similar violations in qualifying (Q2). The key difference here is that Piastri’s case happened during free practice, so race control will need to decide whether to enforce the same line of punishment.
Bortoleto also investigated: yellow flag concerns
Piastri isn’t the only driver under investigation. Gabriel Bortoleto is also being reviewed after allegedly ignoring yellow flag conditions at Turn 6. Between Lesmo 1 and Lesmo 2, the Brazilian overtook a Racing Bulls despite the caution flags being waved.
That misstep could also earn him a penalty. However, since this too occurred during FP2 rather than a qualifying session, the stewards will weigh the circumstances before issuing a ruling.
