Norris wins as Piastri finishes fifth

Piastri said about the title race: “Try to do my best. I think the penalty was important today, but I don’t think the tempo was at the level I wanted.”

“The second half of the race wasn’t too bad potentially, but the first part was a bit tough. I’m just trying to get back on top with this and try to have the best weekends we can.”

The next Grand Prix will be in Las Vegas in two weeks.

In their statement, race stewards declared Piastri “fully responsible” and also imposed two penalty points on his licence, but Leclerc said the incident was entirely Piastri’s fault.

“Oscar was optimistic but I think Kimi knew Oscar was in there and took the corner as if Oscar had never been there,” Leclerc told Sky Sports.

“For me, it’s not all Oscar’s fault. Yes, it was optimistic, but it could have been avoided. I’m disappointed. At the end of the day, I’m not angry at Oscar or Kimi, these things happen, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s all Oscar’s fault. I don’t think so.”

Mercedes’ Antonelli took a career-best second place, while his teammate George Russell finished fourth.