Oscar Piastri Avoids Sanction at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri has avoided a grid penalty for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite failing to slow under yellow flags during the second practice. Piastri did not slow down adequately after Pierre Gasly went off track at Turn 1 during the session. The Australian driver was summoned to appear before the stewards on Friday evening due to the incident, as yellow flag infringements usually result in a grid penalty. However, the stewards explained that there were mitigating circumstances on this occasion, as Piastri had passed the stewards’ post when the yellow caution flag was first displayed.The yellow flag was withdrawn less than a second after the green light became visible to the driver. Therefore, a breach of the rules has technically occurred, however, due to the aforementioned mitigating circumstances, the penalty imposed is reduced to a reprimand. This decision is consistent with previous similar incidents. The explanation for the green flag is due to the way the stewards’ posts and panels are spaced on a circuit. As a green flag can only be shown to mark the end of a yellow flag, the drivers know that seeing it ahead means they must drive accordingly until they have passed that panel. Piastri leads his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, in the championship by 31 points, with eight races remaining. The McLaren team could secure the constructors’ championship this weekend. Qualifying for the race will take place on Saturday afternoon.A yellow flag was displayed at marshal post 1.2 and the green light was displayed on the light panel 3. The drivers had been instructed that if they saw a green light, they should take the action required under a yellow flag condition, even if they had not been shown the yellow flag. In this case, the driver had passed marshal post 1.2 when the yellow flag was first displayed, but was able to see the green light on light panel 3.
Race Stewards
