Oscar Piastri has been penalized with a three-place grid drop for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Formula 1 for obstructing Kevin Magnussen’s Haas during qualifying. Magnussen was trying to improve his position in Q1 when Piastri’s McLaren blocked his path at the Variante Tamburello chicane. The stewards acknowledged Piastri’s explanation that he didn’t see Magnussen until it was too late, but also noted that McLaren failed to warn Piastri of the approaching car in time for him to avoid the obstruction. As a result, Piastri will now start in fifth on the grid, while his teammate Lando Norris moves up to the front row alongside Max Verstappen. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are promoted to third and fourth places, respectively. George Russell, who came very close to fourth place, will start in sixth. Magnussen expressed frustration at encountering traffic during crucial qualifying laps and hoped for a change in luck. He acknowledged the difficulty of avoiding obstructions with these cars, but felt he consistently faced this issue more than others.
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