Which penalty calls did F1’s stewards get right – and wrong – in 2025? Part five

As the Formula 1 championship fight went down to the final race, decisions made by the stewards potentially shaped the outcome.

Oscar Piastri’s penalty for tangling with Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Interlagos undoubtedly hurt his championship bid. At the Yas Marina finale his team mate Lando Norris breathed a sigh of relief as the stewards chose not to penalise him for exceeding track limits as he overtook Yuki Tsunoda.

Did the stewards make the right calls on those incidents – and those involving drivers not in the title fight? Give your verdict on the decisions made over the final four races below and the rest via the following links:

• Which penalty calls did F1’s stewards get right – and wrong – in 2025? Part one
• Which penalty calls did F1’s stewards get right – and wrong – in 2025? Part two
• Which penalty calls did F1’s stewards get right – and wrong – in 2025? Part three
• Which penalty calls did F1’s stewards get right – and wrong – in 2025? Part four
• 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ penalties and investigations index

Brazilian Grand Prix

Lawson and Bearman’s sprint race penalties

Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson traded blows immediately after the sprint race began at Interlagos. First Bearman forced Lawson off on the straight after Curva do Sol, then the pair tangled in Descida do Lago, tipping the Haas into a spin. The stewards blamed Bearman for the first incident and Lawson for the second, handing each a five-second time penalty and a point on their superlicences.

• Bearman and Lawson handed one penalty point each for sprint race clashes

Bearman’s penalty for forcing Lawson off on the straight is:

• No opinion (5%)
• Far too lenient (0%)
• Slightly too lenient (9%)
• Correct (64%)
• Slightly too harsh (14%)
• Far too harsh (9%)

Total Voters: 22

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Lawson’s penalty for causing a collision with Bearman at turn four is:

• No opinion (9%)
• Far too lenient (9%)
• Slightly too lenient (13%)
• Correct (35%)
• Slightly too harsh (22%)
• Far too harsh (13%)

Total Voters: 23

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Piastri’s collision with Antonelli

It looked like being a significant moment for the championship when Piastri pounced on Antonelli and Charles Leclerc during a restart in the Brazilian Grand Prix and dived down the inside of them both. He and Antonelli collided at the apex of the corner, sending the Mercedes driver into Leclerc’s Ferrari and wiping him out. The stewards held Piastri responsible, handing him a five-second time penalty. The decision was one of five which drivers queried when they met a group of stewards in Losail.

• Antonelli is as much to blame for crash as Piastri, says Leclerc

Piastri’s penalty for colliding with Antonelli was:

• No opinion (1%)
• Far too lenient (0%)
• Slightly too lenient (0%)
• Correct (20%)
• Slightly too harsh (26%)
• Far too harsh (53%)

Total Voters: 148

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Tsunoda’s collision with Stroll

Yuki Tsunoda copped the same penalty as Piastri for a collision during the same race with Lance Stroll. He was trying to overtake Franco Colapinto but hit Stroll ahead of them at Bico de Pato.

• Tsunoda given two penalty points for crashing into Stroll

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Hamilton’s collision with Colapinto

Lewis Hamilton ruined his race in Brazil by running into the back of Colapinto, damaging his car. He was given a five-second time penalty.

• Hamilton given penalty point for race-ruining collision with Colapinto

Las Vegas Grand Prix

Lawson-Piastri collision at start

Piastri was involved in another first-corner collision at Las Vegas, this time when he was hit by Lawson, though the stewards took no action.

• Stewards explain why they did not penalise Lawson for colliding with Piastri

Should the stewards have penalised Piastri or Lawson for their collision?

• No opinion (5%)
• Strong penalty for Lawson (17%)
• Light penalty for Lawson (34%)
• No penalty for either driver (43%)
• Light penalty for Piastri (2%)
• Strong penalty for Piastri (0%)

Total Voters: 65

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Bortoleto-Stroll collision at start

The stewards did penalise one collision at the start, in which Stroll was the victim again. Gabriel Bortoleto admitted he was to blame for hitting the Aston Martin driver, for which he received a five-place grid drop for the next race.

• Bortoleto apologises to Stroll after five-place grid drop for causing lap one crash

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Albon-Hamilton collision

Alexander Albon damaged his car and his race when he clipped Hamilton’s car while trying to pass the Ferrari driver in Las Vegas. The stewards gave him a five-second time penalty.

• Albon “surprised” by penalty for Hamilton collision

Albon’s penalty for his collision with Hamilton was:

• No opinion (16%)
• Far too lenient (2%)
• Slightly too lenient (2%)
• Correct (29%)
• Slightly too harsh (27%)
• Far too harsh (24%)

Total Voters: 55

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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lawson’s ‘erratic driving’ in front of Bearman

After a quiet pair of races for the stewards in Losail, four drivers received penalties for similar incidents in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lawson and Bearman found each other again and this time the Racing Bulls driver was penalised for “erratic driving” after he chopped in front of his rival.

Lawson’s penalty for changing his line multiple times in front of Bearman was:

• No opinion (17%)
• Far too lenient (0%)
• Slightly too lenient (6%)
• Correct (71%)
• Slightly too harsh (3%)
• Far too harsh (3%)

Total Voters: 35

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Tsunoda’s weaving and Norris’s pass

More controversially, Tsunoda’s eagerness to help team mate Max Verstappen by holding up his championship rival Norris appeared to get the better of him, and he was penalised for making multiple changes of direction and forcing the McLaren driver off. Significantly, Norris was cleared of overtaking Tsunoda off the track.

• Did Tsunoda try to get Norris penalised – and was the stewards’ call unprecedented?
• Norris’s engineer told him Tsunoda’s move was “classic Red Bull s***housing”

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Stroll and Bearman’s weaving

By the end of the race two more drivers had been penalised for similar incidents. Stroll weaved in front of Carlos Sainz Jnr after passing the Williams while Bearman did the same to the Aston Martin driver as he tried in vain to prevent him overtaking at the end of the race.

Bearman’s penalty for changing his line multiple times in front of Stroll was

• No opinion (25%)
• Far too lenient (3%)
• Slightly too lenient (10%)
• Correct (45%)
• Slightly too harsh (13%)
• Far too harsh (5%)

Total Voters: 40

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Stroll’s penalty for changing his line multiple times in front of Sainz was:

• No opinion (31%)
• Far too lenient (3%)
• Slightly too lenient (13%)
• Correct (41%)
• Slightly too harsh (8%)
• Far too harsh (5%)

Total Voters: 39

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