McLaren Criticizes Harsh 10-Second Penalty on Piastri at British GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella criticized the 10-second penalty given to Oscar Piastri at the 2025 British Grand Prix, calling it "very harsh" and arguing that the stewards did not fully consider the context of the incident. The penalty was issued after Piastri braked suddenly on the Hangar Straight during a safety car restart, which caused Max Verstappen to take evasive action. McLaren contended that the late call to end the safety car period left little time for drivers to manage tire and brake temperatures, contributing to the situation. Stella noted that the brake pressure Piastri applied was typical during safety car conditions and suggested that other drivers may have exaggerated the severity of the braking. Despite Piastri losing the lead and the race win to teammate Lando Norris due to the penalty, McLaren expressed motivation to move forward and learn from the incident. The team also implied that the FIA bears some responsibility for the timing of the safety car withdrawal, which complicated the restart procedure.