Juan Pablo Montoya defends Oscar Piastri after Brazil incident: “FIA rules are unfair”. Juan Pablo Montoya defends Oscar Piastri after the controversial Antonelli-Piastri incident.

Juan Pablo Montoya supports Oscar Piastri

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, in an interview with PokerStrategy, voiced doubts about the penalty issued to Oscar Piastri. The former Formula 1 driver explained that as soon as he saw the collision with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, he predicted Oscar Piastri would be penalized. “Everyone was asking, ‘Why? It’s a racing incident,’” Juan Pablo Montoya said, “but these are the rules, even if they are unfair. Oscar Piastri didn’t do anything wrong. According to the regulations, if you lock your wheels, it means you don’t have full control of the car. He didn’t miss the apex, he didn’t go wide or long. His only mistake was trying to get out of the way.”

How more aggression could have avoided the penalty

Juan Pablo Montoya further analyzed the situation, explaining that if Oscar Piastri had released the brakes, as Antonelli did (see our telemetry analysis), he would have aligned with the mirror of the Mercedes driver, thereby earning the right of way under FIA guidelines. “Oscar should have been more aggressive towards Kimi Antonelli,” the former Williams driver stated. “There might still have been a collision between Antonelli and Leclerc, but Oscar Piastri wouldn’t have received a penalty. It’s a bit absurd that you are in a better position to defend yourself if you are more aggressive. Antonelli had nothing to lose, so he reacted aggressively.”

The Colombian’s point highlights ongoing debate about FIA regulations and their application during racing incidents, with Oscar Piastri’s penalty seen by some as overly harsh given the circumstances. While the Australian driver’s race was affected, the conversation around fair enforcement continues, especially among former drivers like Montoya who believe in a more aggressive, wheel-to-wheel racing style.