Oscar Piastri quizzed about increased dive-bombs after F1 drivers’ briefing

Oscar Piastri was asked whether F1 drivers were dive-bombing more in Mexico after discussing the topic in their briefing.

Last week, the traditional drivers’ briefing was reportedly dominated by talk of how to interpret the F1 guidelines.

It was suggested to McLaren driver Piastri that this debate was followed by a noticeable increase in dive-bombs to the apex.

Piastri denied it, saying: “Not massively, I don't think.Personally, I didn't think it was that much different.

“It depends on, I guess, sometimes the people involved. And not everyone races in exactly the same way.

“I think we're all very, very hard. But I didn't really notice a change, personally.

“There was obviously the contact with Liam Lawson and Checo Perez, which was very, very hard. But I don't think it really changes.

“There are these guidelines out there, but I think there's a few principles we have as drivers - you don't really want to crash the car because it hurts and it costs money.

“And also, you don't want anyone to overtake you.

“So to then think in the moment that ‘I'm just going to release the brakes to get ahead at the apex and not worry about the consequences’ or whatever?

“It goes a bit further than just what's written on a piece of paper, I think.

“Maybe some people will race a bit differently with some of the Stewards' decisions, but that happens with every incident.

“It kind of sets a precedent no matter what it is. So I don't think it will change that much, but we'll see.”

Max Verstappen was penalised twice by the stewards in Mexico for clashes with Lando Norris.

The grey line of legality on the race-track is a hot topic at this weekend’s F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Piastri was asked about whether he is content with the racing guidelines and whether they need to be amended.

“Yes, there probably are some tweaks that need to be made,” the McLaren driver said.

“And, you know, the FIA has acknowledged that and wants to work with us on that, which is very positive.

“But I think in general, we've got more consistency, maybe some things can still be a bit more consistent, but I think at least for the Stewards, they now have a set of guidelines as to what kind of rule should be applied.

“I think we all agree that the rules may be not perfect and should be changed a bit.

“But at least we have something to look back to, which we didn't have before that.

“So I think things can always be improved. These guidelines haven't been around for that long in the grand scheme of things.

“Again, you can't write rules, especially in racing, that are going to cover every single possibility and situation.

“So you always do need a kind of subjective steward to add their thoughts. But yes, I think we're in a much better place than we have been.

“And the FIA has been very, very supportive of trying to change that with us.”