The Brazilian Grand Prix left Australian racing fans furious — and many are pointing fingers straight at McLaren.
After what they’re calling a “completely unfair” penalty and a lack of team support, Oscar Piastri’s weekend in São Paulo quickly turned from promising to painful.
A Promising Start Turns Into a Nightmare
It all went wrong for Piastri just six laps into the race.
The young Australian clipped Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in a chaotic tangle that also ended Ferrari star Charles Leclerc’s race.
The stewards were quick to hand down a 10-second time penalty, declaring Piastri “wholly responsible” for the crash.
For fans, that decision hit like a punch to the gut — especially since Piastri fought back to finish fifth while teammate Lando Norris sailed to victory.
The result widened the gap between them to 24 points in the championship standings.
“I Can’t Disappear” – Piastri’s Frustration Over Radio
Piastri’s frustration was clear over team radio as the penalty came through.
He defended his move, saying he’d taken the inside line fairly, only to be squeezed out as Antonelli and Leclerc crowded him into a tight corner.
“I can’t disappear,” he snapped. But the stewards didn’t see it that way, noting that Piastri “failed to establish sufficient overlap” and locked his brakes too late to avoid the collision.
McLaren’s Response Sparks Fury Online
What truly lit up social media, though, was McLaren principal Andrea Stella’s calm acceptance of the decision.
When asked whether he disagreed with the penalty, Stella shrugged it off:
“It’s one of those things. We rely on the stewards to be consistent.
We don’t have major reasons to complain.”
That quote instantly went viral. Fans accused McLaren of throwing Piastri under the bus and favouring Norris.
“They don’t give a single f*** about Oscar,” one user raged on X (formerly Twitter).
Another wrote, “Defend your driver! Even the commentators said it was harsh.”
Some Fans Turn On Piastri
Not everyone came to his defence. A few argued that Piastri has been too reckless lately, pointing out that he hasn’t won since August’s Dutch Grand Prix and has been piling up mistakes since then.
“Even the team principal’s had enough of him crashing into people,” one critic wrote online.
Piastri’s struggles have seen his early-season lead vanish, and his composure tested under pressure.
McLaren Denies Favouritism
Despite the storm, McLaren insists there’s no internal bias. CEO Zak Brown was quick to dismiss talk of favouritism, saying:
“There’s no chance we pick one driver over the other. We’re racers.”
Even Piastri himself played down the rumours before the race, insisting that McLaren treated both drivers equally: “There’s definitely none of that going on.”
Still, after another weekend of tough luck, fans are finding that harder to believe.
“We Need To Extract the Best From Oscar”
Andrea Stella later tried to clarify his comments, saying the team would take a “rational” look at what went wrong and how to help Piastri regain form.
“We need to extract the full potential of the car and Oscar’s driving in all conditions,” he said. “There’s no reason for desperation.”
It wasn’t quite enough to calm the outrage, though.
Many fans felt the team principal should have defended his driver more strongly — not simply accepted the stewards’ ruling.
Leclerc Steps In To Defend Piastri
Interestingly, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who suffered most from the collision, sided with Piastri.
“Oscar was optimistic, but Kimi knew he was there.
The blame’s not all on Oscar,” Leclerc said after the race. “These things happen.”
His comments only fueled the belief that the penalty was unjust and that Piastri had been hung out to dry.
A Frustrating Weekend, But Lessons Ahead
After the race, Piastri admitted it had been a “tough afternoon,” reflecting on both the crash and a few questionable strategy calls from his team.
“I couldn’t go any further left than I already was,” he explained.
“I got a great restart, but maybe we didn’t make the right calls after that.”
It was the second setback of the weekend for the Australian, who had also crashed during the sprint race on Saturday.
What Comes Next for McLaren and Piastri?
With the tension between fans and team bosses rising, McLaren faces pressure to show they’re backing both drivers equally.
Piastri, meanwhile, will need to bounce back quickly to stay in the championship fight.
If the Brazilian weekend proved anything, it’s that Formula One loyalty runs deep — and Aussie fans won’t stay quiet when they feel one of their own isn’t getting a fair shot.