Piastri Drops Out of Mexico GP Points After Penalty for Lindblad Collision — Formula 1 and motorsport

Oscar Piastri received a 10-second post-race penalty for colliding with Arvid Lindblad at the Mexico Grand Prix, dropping the McLaren driver from seventh to outside the points after a weekend that began with a Q3 streak-ending 12th-place qualification.

Oscar Piastri left the Mexico Grand Prix without points after stewards issued a 10-second penalty for his collision with Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, a sanction that dropped the McLaren driver from seventh place to outside the scoring positions.

Piastri’s weekend at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez had already been difficult. His run of 60 consecutive Q3 appearances, including sprints, ended when he qualified 12th. He recovered three positions at the start and then passed Franco Colapinto and Lindblad to take seventh. He was leading Lindblad by 13 seconds when Valtteri Bottas crashed, but the safety car and a standing restart wiped out that advantage, and Lindblad moved ahead when the race resumed.

Piastri then spent 12 laps pressuring the rookie before trying an outside move at Turn 1. As he moved to the inside for Turn 2, he did not back off in time and his front-right wheel struck the rear-left of Lindblad’s car, sending the Racing Bulls driver into the wall. Piastri said Lindblad closed the door very late, forcing him outside, and that he was trying to concede the position when the wheels interlocked. He added that he was already off the track and felt he could not do much more.

Lindblad, who said he had not been able to watch a replay, declined to comment on the incident but made his position clear: he had been in a genuine race for the position, had kept Piastri behind for more than 10 laps and was not going to let him drive around the outside easily.

The stewards ruled that Piastri was never fully alongside at Turn 1 and therefore could not claim the right to the corner. They found that Lindblad defended by releasing the brakes but did not force Piastri off the track, and that the collision could have been avoided if Piastri had moved further left after Turn 1, even if that meant leaving the track before Turn 2.

Piastri brought a damaged McLaren to the finish, saying the damage was significant and that the final 10 laps were not easy, though he felt the car had enough pace to hang on reasonably comfortably.

Sources: Autosport.