Explained: Why Oscar Piastri was fined €5000 for pitlane incident with George Russell during the F1 Dutch GP FP2

The FIA have dished out a €5000 penalty to the McLaren team for Oscar Piastri's pit lane incident with George Russell during the Dutch GP FP2 session. The stewards have deemed that the team could have handled the situation in a more competent way, and hence have issued the fine in accordance with Article 12.2.1.h of the FIA International Sporting Code.

Piastri made his way back to the pit lane under red flag conditions during the FP2 session at Zandvoort. The driver's entry into the pit area was blocked by some team mechanics pushing a rear jack, and Piastri subsequently re-entered the fast lane to try and go around them into the subsequent pit area.

George Russell rocked up to the scene behind him and had to slow down significantly to avoid a collision inside the pit lane. The stewards noted this incident during the session, and investigation began afterwards.

Now, the FIA have published the findings of the stewards' investigation, and the McLaren F1 Team has been fined €5000, for a breach of Article 12.2.1.h of the FIA International Sporting Code.

The stewards noted in the report that the driver (Piastri) was signalled to go into the next pit area by a team member, without being warned that another car was approaching from behind.

"The team [McLaren] acknowledged that the driver was not warned and also recognised that they could have managed the situation better," read the report.

Piastri was originally summoned to the stewards for an alleged breach of Article 55.5 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, which deals with competitors driving erratically. But after the team's explanation, Article 12.2.1.h of the FIA International Sporting Code was deemed more relevant to the incident.

This article defines "any unsafe act, or a failure to take reasonable measures, that results in an unsafe situation," as a breach.

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Oscar Piastri reflects on "strange" Friday Practice ahead of the F1 Dutch GP

Oscar Piastri during Practice - Dutch Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Oscar Piastri branded the whole of the Friday as "a bit strange" due to the weather conditions at Zandvoort during the first two Dutch GP free practice sessions. The Aussie driver also added that there were still a lot of unknowns going into qualifying day on Saturday (August 30).

Speaking to the media after the FP2 session, Piastri reflected on his feelings after both FP1 and FP2.

"Today has been a bit strange. People didn’t know whether to use the tyres when they definitely knew it was going to be dry, or did you wait a little bit longer and take some fuel out?" said Piastri. [via Formula1.com]

"There were a lot of things that I don’t think were quite as you would normally expect today. I think tomorrow will be the only time when we see exactly where everyone is at," he added.

Piastri currently leads the Drivers' championship by nine points, with teammate Lando Norris being his closest rival. The 24-year-old will be thankful that his pit lane incident with Russell did not lead to him receiving a serious sporting penalty, which could have potentially hindered his title bid.