'Harsh Piastri penalty will discourage the F1 battles we love to see'

A thrilling Sao Paulo Grand Prix saw Lando Norris take control of the drivers’ championship and Max Verstappen produce one of his best recovery drives, this time in the dry. But there was still controversy when it came to the application of the rules, as well as whispers of another race that could look to rejoin the calendar.

Painful penalties provoke a reaction

There was so much that was good about the Sao Paulo Grand Prix that it was quite telling how passionate some in the paddock were about one of the negative aspects of the race.

Oscar Piastri‘s penalty for causing a collision with Kimi Antonelli appeared harsh on first viewing, and even more so when the reasoning from the stewards was delivered.

Piastri was called “wholly responsible” for the contact, while the stewards also claimed Piastri “did not establish the required overlap prior to and at the apex, as his front axle was not alongside the mirror of Car 12, as defined in the Driving Standards Guidelines for overtaking on the inside of a corner.”

But Piastri was clearly fully alongside Antonelli before all three — including Charles Leclerc on the outside — hit the brakes, and his front axle was alongside the mirror in much of the braking zone, but they didn’t get to the apex due to the contact. The lock-up suggests a loss of control but when another driver squeezes the car on the inside, then a reaction is inevitable.

The decisions are supposed to be made on the incident itself and not the outcome, but it does seem almost impossible to separate the two, and the stewards also included the fact that the collision with Antonelli led to further contact that took Leclerc out of the race. Yet the contact in question was only between two cars, and both looked like they should shoulder at least some of the blame, with Leclerc himself calling it 50:50 between Piastri and Antonelli.

Don’t get me wrong, Antonelli certainly shouldn’t be penalised, but his movement towards the apex within the braking zone when Piastri was fully alongside as they first hit the brakes should be enough of a mitigating factor in such close racing on a restart.

Taking the temperature of some opinions in the paddock, though, the main takeaway is one I agree with, in that such penalties do not encourage the racing we all want to see. We want to see cars going three wide, we want to see them fighting, and we don’t want Piastri backing out next time for fear of a penalty, even when he thinks he’s fully entitled to room.

Antonelli clearly didn’t want contact to occur, so between the two of them, they misjudged it, but drivers battling need to be encouraged, and what feels like a harsh application of the guidelines on this occasion has the opposite impact.

Buenos Aires interest increasing

Franco Colapinto ‘s emergence as a sporting superstar in Argentina caught quite a few people by surprise last year, but the now-Alpine driver has enjoyed significant support from his home country, particularly at Interlagos.

The closest thing to a home race for Colapinto has seen a large contingent of Argentinian fans make the journey across the border, and Alpine leant into that with the timing of its announcement confirming him in his seat for 2026.

It perhaps shouldn’t be a massive surprise that interest from Argentina in hosting a grand prix in future has also been increasing off the back of the Colapinto wave, but a longer-term view appears to be being taken to any proposal.

The Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez in Buenos Aires is the most obvious location at an existing circuit, with the venue last hosting the Argentine Grand Prix back in 1998. The track needs updating, but with MotoGP returning to the circuit in 2027, that work is currently ongoing.

While the MotoGP project is currently the main focus, the fact that the premier class of motorcycle racing is now under Liberty Media ownership means there are easier links for future discussions.

The timing currently works quite well from Formula 1’s perspective – with the sport currently having 19 races under contract until at least 2028, and only Belgium not a permanent fixture amid those agreements – as redevelopment work can be completed and proven out with a MotoGP event before any likely opening.

Power unit penalty risks

As we come to the end of this era of power units, their overall reliability stands out as particularly impressive amid strict regulations. But that doesn’t mean they are bulletproof…

Interlagos would have been a good venue for anyone to take a power unit penalty if they felt a new unit was required, as we have seen on multiple occasions in the past. Perhaps the most notable were in 2021 – when Lewis Hamilton had to fight back through the field, in part because Mercedes changed his engine – and last year, when Verstappen’s starting position was also hampered by a power unit penalty.

The intention had been for nobody to take a penalty this time around – aiming to go through the full season within the existing allocation – but Red Bull‘s Q1 struggles on Saturday opened the door for what was effectively a free change.

Different teams admit there is a level of risk involved in the approach, with the desire to avoid a penalty – particularly in such a close fight at the front – being balanced against the potential of a very costly failure in one of the final three rounds. While it appeared there would be an additional bit of jeopardy to keep an eye on across all teams, now it remains to be seen if the Red Bull move provides Verstappen with any advantage in Las Vegas to get back in the title fight.

Red Bull driver line-up timing

The Mexico City weekend had emerged as a potential line in the sand when it came to the futures of the Red Bull drivers, with a growing expectation that a decision would be made on the 2026 line-ups with four races to run.

There would have been pros and cons to such timing, as the drivers would have clarity over their futures that would either mean reassurance of their place for next year, or a bit more time to seek out other options if needed. But that knowledge could be seen as detrimental if it meant a change of seat for either Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson, that was a disappointment to handle.

Only Verstappen knows that he’s in a Red Bull in 2026, while the identity of his team-mate – and who partners Arvid Lindblad if he is promoted to Racing Bulls as expected – remains unclear.

The smart money remains on Isack Hadjar to move up alongside Verstappen, and so if Lindblad does get an F1 seat, it leaves one spot for either Lawson or Tsunoda. For Red Bull, that’s not a simple choice when you take into account not only experience and performance, but benchmarks and commercial influences too.

It now appears Red Bull’s hierarchy will take a bit longer to come to a decision, and likely make use of the remaining three rounds to gain further data on all of the options. None of the drivers has yet delivered performances that guarantee their futures one way or the other, and the remaining triple-header could prove crucial to the final call.