F1 team boss fires stunning accusation after major FIA penalty verdict issued

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella has seemingly questioned whether Max Verstappen made the incident with Oscar Piastri at the British Grand Prix look worse than it was.

Piastri was hit with a 10-second time penalty after he slowed from 218kmh to 52kmh behind the safety car in a move that the stewards deemed 'erratic'.

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The 24-year-old was also given two penalty points for the incident, with Verstappen, who was following behind the Aussie, having to take evasive action – even going past Piastri momentarily such was the change in momentum.

However, Stella has now seemingly accused Verstappen of making the incident seem worse than it was as he hinted at a wider problem within F1.

"We'll have to see also if other competitors kind of made the situation look worse than what it is," he told Sky Sports after the race.

"We know that as part of the race craft of some competitors, definitely there's also the ability to make others look like they are causing severe infringement when they are not.

"So a few things to review. A few things to review. But in itself, now the penalty has been decided, has been served, and we move on."

Does F1 have a penalty problem?

If you have watched an F1 race before, you will be used to the fact that drivers quite regularly take to team radio when they are not happy with their fellow rivals.

Calls to race engineers asking them to check the legality of certain actions are commonplace, as drivers look to do whatever they can to get ahead of their competitors.

Stella's thinly-veiled accusation is not a huge shock, but more an appraisal of the self-policing that takes place in the sport.

Just like in football when players appeal to the referee, drivers take to team radio, as Verstappen did with Piastri, to air their grievances with the actions of those they are competing with.

Yes drivers might make things seem worse than they are, but that is precisely the role of the stewards to separate fact from fiction and analyse the data.

Teams and drivers know that the rules are there to be interpreted so they will do all they can to plead their case.

Until the sport introduces a repercussion for calling for penalties – much like a yellow card for dissent in football – this so-called 'race craft' that Stella alludes to will not be going anywhere.

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