F1 Qatar GP: FIA verdict issued as Oscar Piastri penalty addressed

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, FIA, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Qatar Grand Prix

FIA verdict issued as Oscar Piastri penalty addressed at Qatar GP

Oscar Piastri's recent penalty was brought up at an FIA meeting

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 28 November 2025 17:56 Updated: 18:11

The FIA have confirmed that there will be no changes made to the driving standards guidelines document for the final two rounds of the F1 championship.

2025 has seen a brilliant title battle take place between Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. With just two rounds remaining, Norris leads Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points, and there are 58 more points on offer in the season.

Ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix - the penultimate round of 2025 - the FIA met with F1 drivers in the annual driving standards review meeting, a chance for drivers and F1's governing body to go over any changes that they might want to make to the document.

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In the meeting, several controversial moments from the past few race weekends were discussed, including Piastri's recent 10-second penalty given to him at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Following a safety car restart, Piastri, Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc went into Turn 1 three abreast, with Piastri locking up and making contact with Antonelli, who then crashed into Leclerc and ended the Monegasque driver's race.

Despite being an innocent party in the crash, Leclerc said after the race that he felt that a 10-second penalty for Piastri was harsh, and that Antonelli was also at fault in the incident.

As per the driving standards guidelines that were published at the start of the 2025 season, Piastri's penalty was correct, but the latest meeting between drivers and F1's governing body discussed whether changes should be made to those rules.

FIA issue statement on F1 driving standards guidelines

Following the meeting, the FIA issued a statement revealing that no changes would be made to the guidelines for the final two rounds of the season.

"The discussion was frank, open and conducted in a very collegial atmosphere, which was greatly appreciated by the stewards. The points raised will inform any future refinements to the DSGs, in consultation with the GPDA and the FIA Drivers’ Commission," it read.

"No changes will be made for the final two grands prix of the 2025 season."

Piastri's 10-second time penalty in Brazil was not the only incident discussed in the meeting, with the FIA confirming that Verstappen and Leclerc's corner cutting exploits in Mexico City were discussed, as well as Carlos Sainz and Ollie Bearman's tussle in Monza.

At the Mexican GP, many drivers were unhappy with the fact that neither Leclerc nor Verstappen were penalised for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage, with stewards at the time confirming that a more lenient approach was taken with lap one incidents.

In total, five different incidents were revealed to have been discussed by drivers and the FIA at the meeting in Qatar.

F1 Max Verstappen McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri