Piastri, who initially secured the second position on the starting grid, has now been demoted to fifth place due to a penalty imposed by the FIA-appointed F1 Race Stewards. The penalty was a result of Piastri obstructing Kevin Magnussen’s Haas during the first qualifying session at Imola.
Following the conclusion of the qualifying session, the Race Stewards carefully analyzed various pieces of evidence, including statements from Piastri and Magnussen, data from the positioning/marshalling system, video footage, telemetry provided by the teams, team radio communications, and onboard video footage. The stewards’ statement highlighted the following findings:
Piastri obstructed Magnussen at the chicane at Turns 2 and 3 when exiting the pits. Piastri explained that, due to the layout of the circuit, he was unable to see Magnussen until it was too late. However, he tried to accelerate quickly to avoid hindering Magnussen.
Magnussen acknowledged the difficulty of seeing cars behind in various parts of the track, including the aforementioned section. However, the stewards reviewed the team radio communications and found that Piastri’s team did not alert him to Magnussen’s approaching car until it was too late for Piastri to take any action to avoid obstruction.
Furthermore, there was a significant speed difference of approximately 140km/h between the two cars, with Magnussen following just 40-50m behind Piastri at that moment. As a result, Piastri was in the middle of the chicane when Magnussen caught up directly behind him. It was evident that Magnussen was on a fast lap since exiting Turn 19.
Los comisarios también examinaron cómo otros pilotos fueron alertados sobre autos que se acercaban, observando que recibieron advertencias significativamente más temprano y pudieron evitar obstrucciones en la misma chicane.
Teniendo en cuenta la importancia de la gestión del tráfico para los autos más lentos, especialmente durante el Q1, los comisarios concluyeron que la falta de advertencia suficiente causó una «obstrucción innecesaria» en este caso específico.
