F1 | Plates penalized for impeding. Second row all Ferrari

The penalty has been in the air since Q1 of the Qualifying for the Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and it has finally arrived. Oscar Piastri has received 3 positions to serve on the grid for the first race in which he will take part and he will do so in the one that will take place tomorrow at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola.

The Australian McLaren driver, who qualified in second position behind only Max Verstappen in this afternoon’s qualifying, was found guilty of blocking Kevin Magnussen at the Variante del Tamburello, therefore in turns 2 and 3, in an unnecessary manner.

The stewards, after having listened to the pilots, the members of the respective teams who went to the direction as representatives of the team, having evaluated the maneuvers using the data, videos and telemetry provided, as well as the radio teams, decided to inflict the penalty on the Australian, guilty of having contravened article 37.5 of the FIA ​​Formula 1 Sporting Code.

The offending action saw Piastri exit the pit lane and enter the track while Kevin Magnussen arrived at high speed, set for his fastest lap. Piastri blocked Magnussen between turns 2 and 3.

The stewards accepted the words of Piastri, who stated that, given the layout of the track, he saw Magnussen when it was too late. At that point he accelerated to allow the Haas Dane to pass, trying to do so as quickly as possible. And Magnussen himself accepted Piastri’s explanation.

However, the stewards also noted that the team did not warn Piastri in time to let Magnussen pass. The communication arrived when Kevin was now behind Piastri, so much so that the speed difference between the two cars was approximately 140 km/h.

The stewards also noted how the other drivers were warned much earlier by their respective teams when they found themselves in the same situation. For this reason it was considered that Piastri’s maneuver was an unnecessary impediment.

By losing three positions, Oscar Piastri will be forced to slip from second to fifth place. Lando Norris, now second, will benefit from this, but also the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc – third – and that of Carlos Sainz, who will move up to fourth position, signing the entire second row which will be all red.