FIA issue Oscar Piastri penalty verdict over Italian GP incident

F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri has been handed an official penalty verdict by FIA race stewards, after an incident during FP2 at the Italian Grand Prix.

Piastri, who leads the drivers' standings by 34 points to his team-mate Lando Norris, had to visit the stewards' room after Friday's second practice session at Monza.

And that was because of an alleged infringement following a red flag in the session. Piastri was investigated for allegedly being released into the fast lane of the pit lane before the session had officially gone green once again.

That had followed a five-minute delay to FP2 caused by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli spinning out of the session, causing a red flag.

Now, Piastri has been handed an official verdict by FIA race stewards following the investigation, with the championship leader being handed a reprimand due to the incident happening in practice, rather than a competitive session.

McLaren admit Monza mistake

The stewards explained in their decision that although McLaren held their hands up over the incident, if it had taken place in qualifying or during the race they might not have been so lucky.

"The team admitted during the hearing that they made a mistake as they reacted to the “track clear” message instead of reacting to the message indicating the re-start time of the session," the stewards said.

"The stewards acknowledge that, in contrast to prior incidents of similar nature happening in qualifying, no significant sporting advantage could potentially be gained as this happened in free practice and therefore consider a reprimand to the competitor to be appropriate."

READ MORE: F1 world champions: Full list from Farina to four-time King Verstappen

F1 HEADLINES: Two drivers replaced at Italian GP as official statement issued

READ MORE: Mercedes star forced into shock retirement at Italian GP

READ MORE: FIA announce penalty verdict for F1 star after controversial Italian GP incident

Related