Piastri’s Absence from McLaren Celebration
Following McLaren’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, the absence of the drivers’ championship leader, Oscar Piastri, sparked speculation. The Australian driver, who finished in fourth place, became the center of attention after the team’s celebration on the podium. Piastri, overtaken by his teammate and championship rival, Lando Norris, finished fourth, a result that mathematically secured the constructors’ championship for McLaren. The race was marked by a controversial incident. Norris overtook Piastri on the first lap, almost causing a collision. Piastri expressed his frustration with the maneuver.After the podium ceremony for the top three finishers, with George Russell as the winner, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, the McLaren team celebrated their achievement on the podium. The celebration included team principal Andrea Stella and McLaren CEO Zak Brown. The absence of Piastri led to speculation, but the reality was different. Drivers must follow a protocol after the race, determined by their final position. The top three finishers must conduct television interviews immediately after getting out of their cars. Then, they go to the cool-down room before the podium ceremony. Drivers who finish outside the top three must go to the FIA scales and then to the press zone for interviews. Piastri, finishing fourth, followed this protocol, which explains his initial absence from the podium. Often, drivers finishing fourth or lower conduct interviews while the team’s and winning driver’s national anthem is playing. In the incident, Piastri stated that he needed to review the incident in more detail before commenting. Piastri joined McLaren for the post-celebration in the pit-lane, where a photo was taken with both drivers, the race team and Stella. Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, was not in the photo, as he had left the circuit to catch his flight. Brown commented: “Job done. See you in Austin”. The United States Grand Prix is one of the six remaining races of the 2025 season. Piastri leads Norris by 22 points in the drivers’ championship. Both drivers aim to be the first McLaren champion since 2008.That’s not fair. I’m sorry, that’s not fair. If he has to avoid [Verstappen] by crashing into his teammate, that’s a pretty bad job of avoiding.
Oscar Piastri
