Oscar Piastri’s absence from McLaren’s hastily arranged podium celebrations for its constructors’ championship success immediately after Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix prompted a fair deal of intrigue on Sunday.
With senior team figures CEO Zak Brown and team boss Andrea Stella leading out members of the McLaren crew, who were joined by Lando Norris, it did appear unusual that its drivers’ championship leader was absent.
However, the reason for Norris being there but Piastri not was far from deliberate – and was the consequence of a combination of circumstances relating to drivers’ regular post-race commitments and where they need to be.
McLaren had gone into the Singapore GP well aware that it had a good chance of securing a second consecutive constructors’ title – a feat it had not achieved since the 1990s.
However, with success not guaranteed – and not wanting to bring bad luck on itself - it did not want to make any formal arrangements beyond scoping out the possibility of a team photo-op in the pitlane later that night.
Immediately after the race, however, FOM made sure to make the most of McLaren’s feat by rolling into action some spur-of-the-moment celebrations.
It first of all summoned Brown and Stella to take part in its post-race television interviews for the international feed.
The McLaren team was also informed that F1 was arranging a special podium celebration moment – which would take place immediately after the traditional protocols for the top three drivers.
McLaren duly rounded up a selection of team members to head up to the podium in the race control building.
There, they awaited their moment to go out after race winner George Russell, runner-up Max Verstappen and third placed Norris had finished their celebrations.
F1’s idea was for the McLaren constructors’ moment to focus only on the team members and their own success – so the drivers were not expected to be there.
In fact, Norris, along with the two other top three finishers, was being readied to be escorted to the television pen, having left the podium.
However, as the McLaren crew’s path crossed with the podium drivers near the cool-down room, Norris was dragged back out to join the impromptu moment.
Things had been put together so swiftly by F1 that not all McLaren team members made it – as can be seen by the contrast of how many were missing compared to the official shot that McLaren made proper arrangements for in the pitlane.
Furthermore, with it taking place immediately after the race, Piastri was also nowhere nearby as it was not on his nor the team's radar.
As part of the regular commitments drivers have to make post-race, the Australian had left his car, done his FIA weight check and then gone to the media pen for post-race interviews.
It was here, while answering questions from the numerous television crews, that the podium celebrations were spotted being played out on television screens behind him.
By the time he had finished his interviews, with his final task being to speak to the written media, the podium had long been emptied.
With his interviews done, Piastri returned to the McLaren offices and, once Norris had finished his own commitments in the media pen followed by his appearance in the FIA press conference, McLaren’s plans for a constructors’ championship photo celebration went ahead.
These pictures included both drivers and almost the whole McLaren team.
That is because thanks to how long Norris's media commitments took, the delay in finding a good moment for the McLaren team shot meant that Brown himself missed the pit celebration photo – as he was heading for the airport to catch a flight back home.
What happened with Brown’s radio message
Piastri’s absence from the podium celebrations was not the only moment that set tongues wagging after the Singapore GP.
The broadcast on the international feed of a post-race radio message from Brown to Piastri that got cut off midway triggered the impression from some that the Australian had disconnected the radio.
But this is not what happened, and again this was a case of unfortunate timing – as Piastri never heard the message at all.
As he completed his cool down lap, Piastri had been reminded by the pitwall that it was important he shut the car down as he returned to the pits.
He was told over the team radio: “When you get back to parc ferme, remember we want to turn the car fully off. So kill the engine, wait five, and then fully off.”
Having got back to the pits, he duly shut down the car so his own communication systems stopped work – meaning the radio in his ears was no longer operative.
It was at this moment that, unheard to Piastri, Brown began his radio message: “Oscar back to back champions. Good race, tough race. Thank you for….”
The final seconds of the broadcast were killed not by Piastri deliberately doing anything, but instead as the final disconnection between the car’s systems and FOM’s broadcast feed took place.
