A crucial moment of the Brazilian Grand Prix came during the Safety Car restart. The crash involving Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and Kimi Antonelli decisively impacted the race outcome. Antonelli managed to finish in second place, aided by the penalty given to Oscar Piastri, while Charles Leclerc was forced to retire after suffering damage to his left front suspension.
The stewards assigned blame to Oscar Piastri, giving him a 10-second penalty for his risky maneuver in turn 1. The gap for overtaking on the inside was extremely limited, and Oscar Piastri’s lock-up played a key role in the sanction he received. While the debate over who was at fault continues, Charles Leclerc was undeniably an innocent victim of the incident.
The Italian driver’s admission
Kimi Antonelli commented on the crash during the Brazilian GP, noting that Piastri’s move was overly optimistic given the tight space available: “To be honest, on the brakes, Oscar wasn’t completely alongside. I was in a difficult position with Piastri on the inside and Charles on the outside,” he explained to F1TV.
“I tried my best to give both of them space. I need to review the impact, but I only know that Oscar locked up and I was hit. I ended up colliding with Leclerc, which is a shame because he had to retire, and that’s not what I wanted,” admitted the young Mercedes talent.
Kimi Antonelli also feared potential damage to his own car: “I was lucky to be able to continue. We had to check for any damage to the car. The car felt a bit strange, but we kept our heads down and managed to finish in second place.”
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