F1 Driver Weighs Risk of Penalty for Championship Push
Mexico City – Former Formula 1 engineer Craig Windsor believes Oscar Piastri should have prioritized an all-out qualifying effort in the Mexican Grand Prix’s second practice session, even if it meant accepting a potential penalty. Windsor’s assessment comes after Piastri finished eleventh in FP2,significantly behind teammate Lando Norris who set the fastest time.
Windsor highlighted Piastri’s apparent lack of urgency, noting a willingness to risk a fine was justified given the championship stakes. “It doesn’t happen often that you as a driver have a chance of winning the world title in the last race,” Windsor stated, suggesting the potential reward outweighed the risk of a penalty. He pointed out the equal points distribution across all Grand Prix and noted both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris had faced similar disadvantages earlier in the season.
The discussion followed Piastri’s subdued performance during FP2, where Norris instantly posted a quick lap on soft tires. Windsor observed that McLaren appeared to gain limited insight from Piastri’s session, referencing learnings from Pato O’Ward’s earlier practice run.
While Piastri showed initial pace exiting the pit lane, Windsor emphasized a promising second qualifying attempt on used soft tires – a 1:23.8 compared to Norris’ 1:23.4 – was not enough. The gap widened to seven tenths on new tires.
Race engineer Tom Stallard’s radio message to Piastri – ”you have no problem. This is not a bad time on used tires” – drew criticism from Windsor, who argued it was insufficient encouragement for a championship contender.”It should have been there as soon as he drove out. He should have given 100 percent to win the race and therefore the championship,” Windsor said, adding the situation revealed McLaren’s inability to support two title candidates together.
Windsor concluded by describing Piastri’s demeanor during the first practice session as “incredible and dramatic,” noting he was observed sitting on the pit wall and even yawning.