Oscar Piastri arrived at Monza leading the F1 world championship by 34 points after winning the Dutch GP last time out. His main title rival, Lando Norris, failed to finish in Zandvoort after a chassis issue caused an oil leak.
However, Piastri could start the Italian Grand Prix weekend in a spot of bother. The Australian has been sent to see the stewards for a red flag infringement, which could compromise his weekend.
Oscar Piastri to visit stewards after restart infringement at the Italian GP
Oscar Piastri sat out the first practice session, as Alex Dunne took to the wheel. This left the Australian playing catch-up to learn the track and get his setup sorted. An early red flag after Kimi Antonelli beached his Mercedes in the gravel after ten minutes meant the 24-year-old lost more precious running time.
In a bid to get out of the pit lane first and get optimum running time, Piastri left his garage and entered the fast lane. However, the FIA had not confirmed a restart time. They had only confirmed an estimated time that the session would resume. This meant Oscar Piastri was in breach of failing to follow the race director’s direction.
New document: Doc 12 – Summons – Car 81 – Alleged Failure to follow Race Director’s Instructions
Published on 05.09.25 17:50 CEThttps://t.co/nix9H68Rqn#F1 #Formula1 #FIA #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/u3mV4gdKAq— FIA F1 Documents Bot (@fiadocsbot) September 5, 2025
Earlier this season at the Bahrain GP, Mercedes were penalised for a similar incident. Both of their drivers were sent into the fast lane before a restart time had been confirmed after a yellow flag. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were given a 1-place grid penalty for the rule breach. However, this was during a qualifying session.
McLaren will argue that the breach happened during a practice session, and so the punishment shouldn’t be too severe. During practice sessions, if a team is responsible for an unsafe release, instead of a time penalty or further penalties, the team will receive a fine. As the incident occurred during a practice session, Piastri might get away with it.
If the stewards penalise the 81 car, then the likely penalty would be a 1-place grid drop for the Australian. If he is penalised, this would be music to Lando Norris’ ears. The Brit has fallen 34 points behind his title rival, and would need every advantage he can. During FP2, Norris looked to have a pace advantage over his teammate.
Norris topped the timing sheets, while Piastri could only muster P4. Piastri won’t want a penalty hanging over his head going into qualifying. The 24-year-old will explain himself to the stewards and hope they see his side.
