Oscar Piastri penalty outcome labelled ‘ridiculous’ by fans after Baku crash as Singapore decision emerges

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri had a weekend to forget at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri saw a run of 42 consecutive races scoring points come to a swift end on the streets of Baku.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was where Piastri won his second-ever race in Formula 1 last year, typified by an incredible move on Charles Leclerc down the main straight.

The McLaren driver entered the weekend with a 31-point advantage over teammate Lando Norris in the drivers’ championship, but his time in Baku quickly unravelled.

Qualifying in Azerbaijan was chaos, with six red flags, and the final stoppage was caused by Piastri.

He went into the barriers at turn three and had to settle for P9 on the grid on Sunday, and Jacques Villeneuve suggested Piastri was feeling the pressure in the closing stages of the campaign.

Despite a chassis change, Piastri maintained his position on the grid, but he might have wished that he were starting in the pit lane.

The Australian committed a false start, triggering Fernando Alonso directly behind him to copy him as well.

He brought his car to a stop before starting again, but that dropped him down to the back of the grid.

However, it didn’t matter, as before Piastri could complete a single lap, he locked his brakes and crashed into the barrier, bringing his third F1 outing in Baku to a premature end.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Oscar Piastri’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix penalty will not carry over to the Singapore Grand Prix

As a result of his false start, Piastri was handed a five-second time penalty that he would have had to serve at his first pit stop.

However, as journalist Erik van Haren explained on X, F1’s regulations suggest that the Australian will get away without any further punishment at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Van Haren said: “Will Piastri receive a grid penalty for the next race? No.

“The regulations state that when a driver receives a single five-second penalty that they cannot serve during the race, it does not result in a grid penalty for the next Grand Prix.

“This only applies to multiple or more severe penalties.”

This led to some very frustrated reactions from fans online, with one ironically stating: “Will he then get those five seconds the next race, or will it also be scrapped for Alonso if he crashes now?”

“Absolutely ridiculous, should be a type of penalty for the next race, no matter what,” said another fan.

One reply joked: “Oscar Piastri 200 IG. He expected a penalty for a false start, so he crashed to prevent it.”

“Surely Piastri also gets a grid penalty for that since he’s DNF’d,” said another comment, while another fan agreed and said: “Shouldn’t Piastri be getting a three-place grid penalty for the next race? He should’ve gotten five seconds due to a jump start, but he DNF’d, so he couldn’t serve it.”

Finally, another message suggested: “Piastri’s jump-start penalty should be rolled over to the next race. Consistency.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

When was the last time Oscar Piastri didn’t score points for McLaren?

Only Lewis Hamilton (48) and Max Verstappen (44) completed more consecutive points-scoring finishes than Piastri before his run came to an end in Azerbaijan.

The last time Piastri didn’t finish in the top 10 was at last year’s Miami Grand Prix.

It was the scene of Norris’s first Formula 1 victory, and Piastri was also having a great race after qualifying alongside his teammate on the third row.

The current drivers’ championship leader was in contention for a podium that day before colliding with Carlos Sainz, and a slow pit stop saw him fall out of the top 10.

Piastri has to bounce back immediately to keep his championship campaign on track, but he won’t have to deal with a further penalty in Singapore, even if both McLaren drivers will now be keeping a much closer eye on Verstappen.