Candid F1 cooldown room chat explains why Oscar Piastri’s penalty is justifiable

Nico Hulkenberg told Oscar Piastri that his sudden braking manoeuvre behind the safety car nearly triggered further incidents down the field in the British Grand Prix, offering fresh insight into why the stewards penalised the McLaren Formula 1 driver.

As the final safety car period of the race was ending, race leader Piastri hit the brakes at the end of the Hangar Straight, causing second-placed Max Verstappen to momentarily pass him on the right-hand side of the track.

Although Piastri retained the lead at the restart — aided by Verstappen suffering a half-spin on the still-damp surface — the stewards ruled his actions as “erratic” and handed him a 10-second time penalty, plus two penalty points on his superlicence.

The sanction ultimately decided the outcome of the race, with teammate Lando Norris inheriting the lead — and eventually victory — when Piastri served the penalty during his final pitstop.

“I hit the brakes, basically as the lights went out on the Safety Car. So then, I didn’t accelerate. And I got a penalty,” Piastri said in the cooldown room after taking the chequered flag in second place.

But Sauber’s Hulkenberg, who finished third to claim his maiden F1 podium, warned Piastri that his actions could have had serious repercussions for those behind him.

“You caused a bit of… I almost went off. Almost into the back of Lance [Stroll] and Pierre [Gasly],” said the German, who was running fifth at the time.

In his defence, the Australian explained: “The problem was that it was just a coincidence that I hit the brakes as the lights turned off.”

Piastri declined to elaborate on the incident when questioned in a post-race TV interview, but made his displeasure clear.

“I’m not going to say much. I’ll get myself into trouble,” he said.

“Apparently you can’t brake behind the Safety Car anymore. I did it for five laps before.”