Oscar Piastri  copied an official FIA caution for overtaking under safety car conditions after the chequered flag at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Australian driver was involved in a moment of madness late in Sunday’s race when McLaren team-mate Lando Norris rear-ended him while trying to overtake him.

Plastri was running fourth, with Norris close behind with just four laps remaining. But disaster struck for McLaren when the British driver tried to open up a gap that did not exist.

Norris clipped his team-mate and crashed into the wall, ending his race as a safety car was deployed.

Norris immediately admitted guilt and said his actions were “stupid”. The Briton said on team radio: “I’m sorry, it’s all bad. It’s all my fault. Unfortunately, sorry, it was stupid of me.”

Oscar sign caught in “prohibited” act after checkered flag

Although Piastri escaped all blame for the accident, with his teammate being overzealous, officials accused him of breaking the rules after the chequered flag. The FIA ​​– Formula One’s governing body – found that Piastri was one of seven drivers to overtake another car while the safety procedure was still in force. The FIA ​​issued official warnings to Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll.

The driver overtook the other cars after the chequered flag, but while the safety car signals were still displayed, following an accident on the start/finish straight involving car 4 (Lando Norris) and car 81 (Plastri Oscar), “The FIA ​​said.”

Although the drivers knew where the accident occurred, they had no way of knowing whether emergency equipment or marshals had been dispatched to the track and therefore we need to proceed with caution. We are therefore warning the driver in question, as well as all other competitors. Further violations may result in more severe sanctions.

Norris was given a five-second penalty for causing the collision with Piastri, a penalty that was largely useless considering he did not finish the race. Red Bull also protested the actions of race winner George Russell, believing he had deliberately pitted against Max Verstappen during the safety period. However, the FIA ​​rejected the protest and Russell retained the victory.

Lando Norris issues public apology for Oscar Plastri accident

Plastri was speaking to reporters after the race when Norris approached him and apologized. Norris later said: “Nobody is to blame except myself. I apologize for the whole team and also for Oscar for trying something that was probably a little bit too foolish. I’m glad I didn’t ruin his race. I apologize to the team. How foolish of me.”

Plastri finished fourth, ending an eight-race podium streak that stretched back to the second race of the season. But Norris’s retirement provided an opportunity to extend his lead at the  top of the F1 drivers’ standings  from 10 points to 22 – putting the Australian under serious pressure in his pursuit of the World Championship.

Russell drove a brilliant race from Polare to Équer to beat Verstappen. Antonelli finished third – his first podium at the age of 18 – to complete a brilliant day for Mercedes.

Lando Norris failed to finish after crashing with Oscar Plastri. (Photos by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Oscar Piastri reacts to Lando Norris collision

Plastri said after the race that he did not expect Norris’s accident to change the dynamic in the team’s garage, with McLaren leaving both its drivers at a disadvantage. “Obviously it’s not ideal for anyone, but I didn’t actually see the accident so I don’t know exactly what happened,” said the Aussie.

“But if Lando took full responsibility then that’s it, I guess. A bit of a tough race overall and not ideal.”

When asked about his battle with Norris, which lasted more laps, Plastri said he thought he was in the right. “He made a pretty big move into Turn 10, he held me up at the chicane, and it was certainly a tough battle, but until then,” he said.

Again, I didn’t see the accident, but I don’t think there was any bad intentions, I think it was really unfortunate. I’ll have a look at it, of course, but we’re both fighting for a world championship and they’re very grateful to the team that allowed us to race. I don’t expect this to change anything. We’ll keep racing throughout the year.

Andrea Stella says McLaren will look into teammate collision

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was quick to react to Norris’s brain explosion: “We never want to see a McLaren involved in an accident and we certainly never want to see two McLarens touching,” Stella told Sky Sports.

It’s something we definitely need to review, because it’s a very clear principle. At the same time, it’s a contact that occurred due to an error of judgment. Lando assessed the distance to the car in front and therefore there was no aggressor.

Lando, as immediate owner, we take responsibility for this, but it is certainly something that needs to be discussed and reviewed. Our principles are already in place, our drivers will have a lot to learn and we will get back to racing. It is an error of judgement that is costly in the championship. It is already costly for the team, so it is certainly an accident that should not have happened.

This article was originally published on Yahoo Sport Australia.