As the lights went out, Oscar Piastri launched like a rocket from second place. And within seconds, Piastri was alongside Max Verstappen, and they had set up a thrilling battle into Turn 1.

Since Piastri had the inside line, even though he wasn’t much far ahead, he had the upper hand. And Verstappen, in his spirit of never giving up, took a more creative approach. Instead of backing out, he released the brakes, kept the steering light, and let his Red Bull cut the corner. And when Piastri turned, Max was in front of him, on the track.

First thing we heard was Piastri speaking on the radio to his team, clearly in frustration: “He needs to give that back – I was ahead.”

And according to the F1 rules, if a driver leaves the track and gains an advantage (in this case, keeping the lead), the driver is expected to give the position back voluntarily. And if he does not do that, the stewards can step in with a penalty. Yet this call lies within the team to do the right thing before the officials intervene.

But what was also interesting is that Kimi Antonelli found himself in a similar position. He also ran wide, cut the corner, and rejoined ahead of Charles Leclerc, but he immediately returned the position. So, no drama there.

And former F1 race director Niels Wittich, providing commentary on Sky Germany, gave his opinion on the Verstappen situation.

“This isn’t new,” Wittich explained. “We've had countless discussions about this with teams and drivers over the years. Everyone remembers Abu Dhabi 2021 and how heated things got with Lewis [Hamilton]. The rule is simple: if you go off track and keep a position, you’ve gained an advantage. And that advantage has to be given up.”

He added, with honesty, “If there had been a gravel trap there instead of tarmac, Verstappen wouldn’t have had the option to run wide. He’d have been out or at least much slower. So yes—it’s better to give up a place than risk a five-second penalty.”

Verstappen didn’t give the position back, so the stewards gave him a five-second penalty. And in a race like this one, it was the thing Piastri needed.

And in the end, Piastri won the race. He took the win with fair play.