Oscar Piastri Hit With FIA Penalty Ruling for Singapore GP

Formula One's governing body have made their decision about handing Oscar Piastri a penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix.

On Sunday afternoon, a chaotic race at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan saw reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen win his second consecutive Grand Prix.

After a record-breaking qualifying session on Saturday saw current championship race leader Piastri starting the race in ninth, all eyes were on the Australian at the start of the main race.

But things quickly went from bad to disastrous for Piastri as he made a false start, potentially earning himself a penalty, before crashing into the wall on Turn One, ending his race moments after it began.

Now that the dramatic race has finished, the FIA, Formula One's governing body, have looked back on Piastri's early mistake and revealed their decision about handing him a penalty.

Max Verstappen won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. (Image: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

After the incident, the FIA released a statement confirming that race stewards had decided to hand Piastri a five second penalty for his false start, the same punishment given to Fernando Alonso for also setting off early.

Of course, with Piastri out of the race, many fans questioned if this would mean that the championship leader would be made to serve the penalty in the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix.

However, it has now been confirmed that this will not be the case and Piastri will not have to serve a grid penalty at the race in two weeks time, significantly boosting his chances of winning the title this season.

In theory, F1’s Sporting Regulations state if a driver is handed a time penalty but is not able to serve it due to a retirement then stewards are able to impose "impose a grid place penalty on the driver at their next race.”

However, the FIA stewards' guidelines explain that minor one-off incidents like Piastri's false start in Baku should not lead to a later gird penalty.

Oscar Piastri's early crash at the Baku City Circuit ruled him out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. (Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Article 8 in the “Important Notes” section of the penalty guidelines states: “In cases where there is a single 5s penalty which a driver is unable to serve due to retirement, the Stewards will not convert that into a grid penalty for a subsequent race.

“However, if there is more than one penalty, the Stewards may convert the 5s (and other) penalties into a grid penalty.”

Although it appears that the right decision has been made by the stewards, it didn't stop fans from social media from expressing their frustration.

Reacting to the news, one fan wrote on X: "This guy gets away with everything, what a joke."

With another hitting back, writing: "Just because you don't understand the rules, it doesn't mean theres some conspiracy."