Piastri’s Absence from McLaren Celebration
Following McLaren’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, the podium celebration was marked by a notable absence: Oscar Piastri, who leads the drivers’ championship. Piastri finished in fourth place, behind his teammate and championship rival, Lando Norris. This result was enough for McLaren to secure their constructors’ championship. The race was full of controversies for the team. Norris overtook Piastri on the first lap, almost sending the Australian driver into the wall. Piastri expressed his frustration with the maneuver.Norris’s maneuver reduced Piastri’s lead in the championship to three points. After the podium ceremony for the top three, an unusual scene unfolded, with the McLaren team invading the podium to celebrate. As “We Are The Champions” by Queen played, Norris was joined by team principal Andrea Stella, McLaren CEO Zak Brown, and most of the team to celebrate the achievement. The absence of Piastri generated speculation, but the reality was less dramatic. After a Formula 1 race, the drivers follow a specific protocol according to their position. The top three are interviewed by television, then go to the cool-down room and finally to the podium. Drivers outside the podium must go to the FIA scales and then to the media zone for interviews. As he finished fourth, Piastri had to follow this protocol. It is common for drivers to do interviews while the national anthem is playing. The rules are strict. For example, Lewis Hamilton was penalized and did not return to the press area after his interview. Piastri, when questioned about the incident with Norris, stated in the media zone: “I need to see the incident in more detail. Once I have the full picture, we will talk about it. I want to see exactly what happened before drawing conclusions.” Piastri joined McLaren for the planned celebration: a photo in the pit-lane with both drivers, the team and Stella. Another notable absence in the photo was CEO Brown, who had already left the circuit. “Work done. See you in Austin,” said Brown. 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 hope to become McLaren’s first champion since 2008.That’s not fair. I’m sorry, that’s not fair. If he has to avoid Verstappen colliding with his teammate, it’s a pretty bad job of avoiding.
Oscar Piastri
