Piastri's Penalty And Hamilton's Future - F1 Q&a

Lando Norris executed a cleanable play astatine nan Sao Paulo Grand Prix connected Sunday to widen his title lead complete McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to 24 points.

The Briton took 33 points successful full astatine Interlagos by winning some nan sprint title and expansive prix, while Australian Piastri grounded to make nan main podium for nan 5th play successful a statement and vanished fifth.

Max Verstappen's 3rd spot aft starting from nan pit lane besides caught nan eye, but nan four-time title victor is now 49 points down leader Norris.

With only 3 races and 1 sprint arena near of nan 2025 season, BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.

Do you deliberation nan stewards were being harsh connected Oscar Piastri successful giving him a 10-second punishment for his portion successful nan collision pinch Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, erstwhile astir different group thought it was a racing incident? - Andrew

It's easy to spot why Piastri was penalised for nan incident, erstwhile you publication nan FIA's driving standards guidelines.

They opportunity that to beryllium entitled to beryllium fixed room erstwhile overtaking connected nan inside, nan overtaking car must:

"Have its beforehand axle astatine slightest alongside nan reflector of nan different car anterior to and astatine nan apex; and beryllium driven successful a afloat controlled mode peculiarly from introduction to apex, and not person 'dived in'."

Although Piastri was almost afloat alongside Antonelli connected nan pit consecutive and entering nan braking zone, his beforehand axle was nary longer alongside nan reflector of Antonelli's car astatine nan apex.

He besides locked up his beforehand near tyre, which presumably gave nan stewards nan belief that he was not "fully controlled".

The stewards study said Piastri "did not found nan required overlap anterior to and astatine nan apex" and "locked nan brakes arsenic he attempted to debar interaction by slowing, but was incapable to do truthful and made contact". They concluded that Piastri was "therefore wholly responsible for nan collision".

So, yes, nan guidelines opportunity nan punishment was justified.

But was it right?

The problem pinch nan guidelines is that they are being applied to nan letter, without what immoderate would see giving due information to nan reality of racing.

If a driver is almost afloat alongside different car heading to nan braking zone, they are perfectly entitled to make nan move. And nan guidelines connote that, too.

On nan inside, a driver has to brake earlier because of their constrictive trajectory, truthful nan comparative position of nan cars will alteration connected area entry. This is particularly nan lawsuit if nan way is still somewhat damp aft rain.

Should that mean nan driver is not entitled to beryllium fixed room? Should they beryllium required to backmost retired astatine this point? Is that moreover feasible? Should it mean nan driver should not spell for nan move successful nan first place?

There is an statement that Antonelli knew Piastri was connected nan inside, and would person been wise to springiness him much space, alternatively than trim successful towards nan apex truthful overmuch and consequence contact.

In this case, Charles Leclerc, who was taken retired by Antonelli aft nan collision betwixt Piastri and nan Italian, said: "Oscar was optimistic, but Kimi knew that Oscar was connected nan inside, I think, and he benignant of did nan area for illustration Oscar was ne'er there.

"For me, nan blasted is not each connected Oscar. It was optimistic, but this could person been avoided. I wouldn't spell arsenic acold to opportunity it's each of Oscar's fault. I don't deliberation it is."

Piastri said: "I had a very clear opportunity up nan inside, went for it. Yes, location was a lock-up, but I was firmly connected nan apex, connected nan achromatic line. I couldn't spell immoderate further left, and I can't conscionable disappear."

Antonelli said: "I recovered myself successful a very difficult position because I had 1 car connected nan extracurricular and 1 car connected nan inside. I tried to brake late, not excessively late. The problem is I didn't spot nan car adjacent to maine immoderate more. I still tried to do a decent statement for nan position I was in. And, yeah, ended up getting hit."

Ultimately, these are subjective questions connected which opinions will vary.

What tin beryllium said for definite is nan drivers, arsenic a wide overview, are not that happy pinch nan guidelines, aliases nan mode successful which they are being applied. This has travel up clip and again this year. It does look for illustration immoderate benignant of reappraisal is required.

Could nan caller 2026 regulations beryllium Lewis Hamilton's redeeming grace? And if Ferrari get nan car incorrect again, what's nan consequence of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton moving connected to different teams? - Laura

Lewis Hamilton had different difficult title successful Brazil.

He qualified 13th while team-mate Charles Leclerc was third. Hamilton was deed by Carlos Sainz astatine nan first corner, damaging his car, and past misjudged a passing move connected Franco Colapinto's Alpine astatine nan commencement of nan adjacent thigh and took disconnected his ain beforehand wing.

After what has undoubtedly been a difficult maiden play astatine Ferrari, it's small wonderment that he said afterwards: "This is simply a nightmare, and I person been surviving it for a while."

Hamilton went connected to say: "I judge location is thing bonzer up ahead successful my life and successful my destiny. I genuinely still judge successful this squad and what we tin execute together."

In position of his wide form, location is nary mobility that Hamilton has improved arsenic nan play has gone connected - since nan summertime break, he is down only 0.099 seconds connected mean connected Leclerc successful qualifying. That number is 0.128secs for nan year.

At nan aforesaid time, Hamilton has made nary concealed of nan truth that he does not really get connected pinch nan existent era of cars. They don't suit nan measurement he likes to brake precocious and transportation nan car into nan corner, and he hopes nan 2026 cars, pursuing nan preamble of caller rules, will beryllium amended suited to him.

As for his future, Ferrari person not said really agelong his statement is. But I person been proceeding for a while that Hamilton is connected a patient three-year woody astatine Ferrari - ie, to nan extremity of 2027 - and an speech he had pinch nan media successful Brazil did look to corroborate this.

He was asked erstwhile he expected to commencement negotiations connected a caller contract, and he replied: "I person a beautiful agelong contract. Normally, erstwhile you do a contract, it's usually nan twelvemonth earlier (it ends) you commencement to talk astir it. I'm a small spot acold from that correct now."

He was asked whether that meant he would beryllium doing truthful adjacent year, and he replied: "No."

The magnitude of Leclerc's statement has not been officially revealed by Ferrari, but it is said to tally until 2029. Of course, location whitethorn beryllium options successful location that could spot him time off earlier.

Max Verstappen's thrust successful Sao Paulo was rather reminiscent of Lewis Hamilton successful 2021, nan communal taxable being they had a caller engine. Is Brazil a way wherever this has a greater effect than others? Should different drivers see it arsenic an out-there strategy call, aliases was it only imaginable because of nan immense talent of those 2 drivers? - Tom

It's highly uncommon that a driver tin execute this benignant of a consequence aft starting from nan pit lane. Verstappen's accomplishment successful Brazil matched those of Jarno Trulli successful Australia successful 2009, Sebastian Vettel successful Abu Dhabi successful 2012 and Lewis Hamilton successful Hungary successful 2014.

A caller motor decidedly gives a mini capacity advantage, but Verstappen's thrust connected Sunday was overmuch little to do pinch than 2 different things - Red Bull's alteration to nan car's set-up, and Verstappen's ain genius.

The truth that he did it aft being dropped to nan backmost again by his pit extremity for a puncture connected thigh six, having already climbed to 13th, was each nan much impressive.

Having said that, it's not each that uncommon for a driver who has qualified severely to make a pit-lane start, arsenic it intends changes tin beryllium made to nan car pinch nan volition of making it faster successful nan race.

That's precisely nan strategy Red Bull employed successful Sao Paulo.

But nan trouble of overtaking successful F1, and nan truth that very fewer drivers could person achieved what Verstappen did, intends it's highly improbable to go a strategical action extracurricular those circumstantial circumstances.

A Mercedes customer squad has comprehensively beaten nan useful squad for 2 years successful a row. If McLaren commencement adjacent play still up of Mercedes, astatine what constituent does it commencement to beryllium a existent problem for nan useful team? - James

Mercedes evidently don't ever want to beryllium beaten by McLaren, and surely don't want it to support happening. They want to triumph themselves.

But motorsport head and F1 squad main Toto Wolff ever says erstwhile asked astir this that if Mercedes can't win, nan adjacent squad he would want to do truthful would beryllium a Mercedes customer, because astatine slightest past Mercedes are still winning.

McLaren's occurrence has helped guarantee Mercedes-powered cars person won each but 2 of nan constructors' titles since nan commencement of nan hybrid era successful 2014, missing retired only successful 2022 and 2023, erstwhile Red Bull-Honda were astatine their astir dominant.

McLaren beating nan useful squad can't make Wolff's life that comfortable, but Mercedes do not springiness nan belief that this is an existential mobility for them.

Their beingness successful F1 is based connected nan truth that they judge nan finance is rewarded by nan publicity worth of having a competitory team, successful performance pinch nan technological benefits for nan full institution of being astatine nan forefront of motorsport.

It's besides worthy saying that supplying engines to customers makes money for Mercedes and helps offset nan investigation and improvement costs of their F1 motor programme. In total, it made them astir £90m past year, taking into relationship fees for engines and dividends.

Mercedes person been successful F1 for much than 30 years, sloppy of whether you prime their general useful introduction pinch McLaren successful 1995 aliases their "concept by Mercedes" branding pinch Sauber successful 1993 arsenic their starting point. And they are successful it for nan agelong haul.