Piastri missed McLaren’s celebration: Why? F1 explains

Following McLaren’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, the celebration of the constructors’ championship on the podium generated anticipation. However, the absence of Oscar Piastri, leader of the drivers’ championship, did not go unnoticed. Piastri, who finished in fourth place, behind his teammate and rival, Lando Norris, saw his teammate climb positions. This result was enough to secure the constructors’ championship for the second consecutive time. The race was marked by controversy, especially on the first lap, when Norris overtook Piastri, almost sending him into the wall. Piastri expressed his frustration, calling the maneuver “unfair”.

That’s not fair. I’m sorry, that’s not fair. If you have to avoid [Verstappen] by crashing into your teammate, it’s a pretty bad job of avoiding.

Piastri

Norris’ maneuver reduced Piastri’s lead in the championship to three points. After the podium ceremony, the McLaren team joined Norris, team principal Andrea Stella, and CEO Zak Brown to celebrate the achievement. Piastri’s absence from the celebration sparked speculation, but the reality was less dramatic. Drivers must follow a post-race protocol determined by their final position. The first three conduct television interviews immediately after getting out of their cars. Then, they go to the cool-down room before the podium celebration, where they receive trophies. Championships are usually recognized at the FIA gala, although this has changed since Liberty Media took over Formula 1. McLaren had been cautious in planning the celebration, worried about tempting fate. After the race, the team mathematically secured the championship.

While the first three were doing their interviews, the rest of the drivers, like Piastri, must go to the FIA scales and then to the press area for interviews. Often, drivers do interviews simultaneously with the podium ceremony. The rules are strict, and some drivers must go to the press even before meeting with the stewards for on-track incidents. An example was Lewis Hamilton, who received a five-second penalty and did not return to the press area after his television interview. Piastri, when questioned about the incident with Norris, stated that he needed to see the incident in detail before drawing conclusions. Piastri joined McLaren for the post-race celebration in the pit lane, alongside his teammate and the team. However, CEO Brown was not present, as he had left the circuit. Brown, before leaving, said: “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.