Oscar Piastri reveals what Liam Lawson told McLaren driver after their Sao Paulo Grand Prix crash

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Oscar Piastri has revealed what Visa Cash App RB ace Liam Lawson told the McLaren driver after the Australian drew a penalty for their crash in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Interlagos looked set to be a happy hunting ground for Piastri after he beat teammate Lando Norris to pole position for the F1 Sprint. Only McLaren utilising team orders for the Briton to win denied the former glory. Yet rain would ruin Piastri’s parade for the proper Sao Paulo GP.

Piastri struggled to show much speed amid the difficult conditions in qualifying and the race as Formula 1 staged a Super Sunday at the Sao Paulo GP. The 23-year-old lapped Interlagos 1.281 seconds slower than pole-winner Norris in Q3 to only secure eighth place on the grid.

Liam Lawson didn’t see Oscar Piastri coming in their crash in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Visa Cash App RB pilot Lawson, meanwhile, qualified in P5 and was 0.173s faster than Piastri in Q3 at the Sao Paulo GP. Yet the 22-year-old soon had the McLaren racer on his heels after the New Zealander lost out to Charles Leclerc at Turn 2 after taking a tighter line at the start.

But for all of the time Piastri spent staring at Lawson’s gearbox, he could not try an overtake for P6. Their fight then was over P7 after neither made life difficult for Max Verstappen amid his charge from P17 to the win at the Sao Paulo GP. It took Piastri until Lap 26 to try a move.

Yet Piastri could not do to Lawson what Verstappen did to him by diving down the inside at Turn 1. While the Red Bull driver regularly made a mockery of his rivals by overtaking them at Turn 1, Piastri tipped Lawson into a spin as the Kiwi turned in not expecting a possible move.

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The race stewards deemed Piastri responsible for his crash with Lawson in the Sao Paulo GP, so slapped the McLaren star with a 10-second time penalty as well as two penalty points on his licence. Piastri also holds his hands up despite Lawson admitting he did not see the dive.

“I was stuck behind [Lawson] for a long time,” Piastri shared, via Auto Action. “I didn’t really get far enough alongside.

“I spoke to him about it and he said that he didn’t see me either, which in those conditions is fair enough. It was clearly my mistake and the penalty was deserved, it’s just a tough day.”

Oscar Piastri’s penalty cost the McLaren driver P7 in the Sao Paulo GP

Piastri would cross the finish line in seventh place as Verstappen celebrated winning the Sao Paulo GP and moving within touching distance of denying Norris the drivers’ title. But Piastri would slip to P8 behind Yuki Tsunoda as his penalty was added once the chequered flag fell.

The Australian could not serve his penalty during the Sao Paulo GP as McLaren pitted Piastri for new intermediate tyres on Lap 27 after reacting immediately to a Virtual Safety Car after Nico Hulkenberg beached his Haas at T1. McLaren also changed his tyres under the red flag.

Swapping out his Pirelli rubber during the stoppage called for by Franco Colapinto crashing out of the Sao Paulo GP under the safety car ensured Piastri did not pit again. But he would only open a 7.113s gap to Tsunoda to ensure Piastri finished in P8, while Lawson sealed P9.