F1 championship protagonist Oscar Piastri reprimanded over FP2 violation

Championship hopeful Oscar Piastri was summoned to the stewards following a potential yellow flag violation in Free Practice 2 ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, after which point he was handed a reprimand for the infringement.

Piastri was cited at 16:33 local time. It is currently unclear what happened during this possible violation.

Oscar Piastri reprimanded by stewards

If McLaren Racing can pull off a 1-3 finish this weekend at the Baku City Circuit, the team will re-secure its grasp on the constructors’ championship, but that also means a clean weekend will be necessary on one of the sport’s most challenging tracks.

Free Practice 1 and 2 were both dotted with pauses in the on track action, as drivers collided with the walls lining the circuit’s narrow racing surface.

And one of those yellow flags perhaps caught out championship contender Oscar Piastri, who was investigated by the FIA after FP2.

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Piastri was summoned to the stewards for an “alleged breach of Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code” for “failing to slow under yellow flags at 16:33”.

Things have been tough for the Australian challenger so far this weekend, with Piastri suffering a power unit issue in FP1 which restricted his time on the circuit. Come FP2, he made contact with the wall shortly after his teammate Lando Norris did the same.

Ultimately, the FIA determined that the infraction was not worth a penalty; rather, Piastri has secured his first reprimand of the season.

The stewards’ ruling reads, “The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 81 (Oscar Piastri), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry, and in-car video evidence.

“A yellow flag was displayed at Marshal Post 1.2 and green light was shown at light panel 3. Driver had been instructed that if they see a green light they must 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 shown for the first time but was unable to see the green light at light panel 3.

“The yellow flag was withdrawn less than one second after the green light became visible to the driver.

“Therefore technically a breach of regulations has occurred however because of the mitigating circumstances above, the penalty imposed is reduced to a Reprimand. This is consistent with previous similar incidents.”

A driver is allowed four reprimands in a season; upon securing a fifth reprimand, they are automatically handed a 10-second grid penalty.

This is Piastri’s first reprimand of 2025.

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