Championship leader Oscar Piastri was visibility frustrated with the events leading up to his second-place podium at the chaotic British Grand Prix, saying, "When you don't get the result you think you deserve, it hurts."
The McLaren driver started second on the grid Sunday and took the lead from pole sitter Max Verstappen on Lap 9. Piastri retained the race lead through two safety car periods and heavy downpours until the final 10 laps.
Piastri appeared to brake aggressively at the second safety car restart on Lap 21. He was subsequently handed a 10-second penalty by stewards for erratic braking before the safety car lights were extinguished.
He served the penalty during a pit stop on Lap 43, coming out behind teammate Lando Norris, who ultimately won the race. Piastri asked the team to swap the cars with five laps remaining, but McLaren confirmed there would be no such orders.
The stewards' report said: "Article 55.15 of the FIA Sporting Regulations required Car 81 [Piastri] to proceed at a pace which involved no erratic braking nor any other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers from the point at which the lights on the safety car are turned off.
"What Car 81 did was clearly a breach of that article. In accordance with the penalty guidelines, we imposed a 10-second time penalty to Car 81."
Immediately after the race, a visibly frustrated Piastri said: "I'm not going to say much; I'll get myself in trouble. Well done to Nico [Hulkenberg, who finished third]. I think that's the highlight of the day, so I'll leave it there.
"Apparently, you can't brake behind the safety car any more. I mean, I did it for five laps before that."
The 24-year-old added: "I still like Silverstone, even if I don't like it today, so thanks for coming out, everyone."
At a news conference after the first round of interviews, Piastri was more forthcoming.
"It obviously hurts at the moment," he told reporters. "It's a different hurt, though, because I know I deserved a lot more than what I got today. I felt like I drove a really strong race. Ultimately, when you don't get the result you think you deserve, it hurts, especially when it's not in your control. A lot."
On the overall performance of the team, he added: "It was a really, really good day. A similar race to here 12 months ago, and a very different outcome for the whole team. The whole team did a really good job. The car was obviously mega, and giving myself credit, I feel like I did a good job today. So, it just makes it more painful when you don't win."
When asked if he would be querying stewards for clarification over the penalty, he said: "I don't know. I don't think it's worth doing at the moment. I'm not sure it's going to be very constructive, in all honesty. I don't know. But I don't really care at the moment."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the ruling was severe.
"We think overall that the penalty has been harsh, but we will review the data," Stella said. "Like usual, we will see if there's any learning from that. At the moment, there's not much we can do. We just have to take it on the chin.
"A tough one for Oscar because he drove very well today. But it's just midseason," he added. "Many more opportunities, and I think this will give Oscar more motivation."
The Australian remains the championship leader, though his advantage over Norris was reduced to just eight points after 12 races.
Piastri has five race wins this season, with nine podiums in 10 races.