McLaren’s attempt to overturn the penalty which cost Oscar Piastri a third-place start in Austria was thrown out on a technicality. As a result, the stewards’ ruling that he had gone beyond track limits at turn six in qualifying was not examined.
The decision gained greater significance after the race as George Russell, who inherited Piastri’s third place on the grid, took the victory as front row starters Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided.
McLaren remain convinced that the available evidence did not meet the standard the FIA has previously used for deciding track limits cases. By the standard used to penalise Piastri, McLaren believe one of the drivers who gained a place from him should also have been moved back on the grid.
The team argued the stewards’ handling of the case contradicted precedent established late last year when other drivers avoided penalties. Piastri said the evidence used to prove he exceeded the track limits at turn six on his final flying lap came from a camera which did not capture similar images of other drivers’ lines through the same corner.
“[It] is a bit painful when there’s other people that potentially also went off but didn’t have a [camera] on them,” said the driver.
This stewards’ decision to accept the evidence of Piastri’s infringement when the same footage was not available of other drivers on the same corner goes against the practice used at the United States Grand Prix last year.
After Haas protested the stewards’ decision not to penalise Alexander Albon and others for cutting turn six during the race, the stewards determined evidence showing the Williams driver leaving the track could not be used partly because they could not rely on the same footage “for every car in every lap.” They also ruled onboard footage from one car showing a potential infringement by another “does not meet that accurate and consistent evidence standard” partly because it “may or may not be available for any given car’s potential breach at any given time.”
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Team principal Andrea Stella said this requirement is part of the criteria the stewards must fulfil when imposing track limits penalties. “These criteria [are] that it needs to be beyond ‘any reasonable doubt’, that the camera needs to have adequate resolution, and that if you use one view, one camera for a competitor, this needs to be available to all competitors. So these are…
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