Piastri dropped behind eventual winner Lando Norris after he was forced to serve a 10-second penalty when he decelerated from 135mph to just 32mph on the Hangar Straight ahead of a safety car restart.
The stewards accused Piastri of “erratic driving” and said Max Verstappen, who was running second at the time, had to take “evasive action to avoid a collision”.
But Piastri said: “I felt it was well within the rules, and I did it once already in that race. I don’t really get it.
“I hit the brakes, and at the same time as I did, the lights went out on the safety car. I didn’t accelerate because I can control the pace from there.
“I didn’t do anything differently to my first restart. I didn’t go slower. I don’t think Max had to evade me. So I am a bit confused to say the least. I know I deserved a lot more than I did today and when you don’t get the result you deserve, it hurts.”
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After Piastri served the penalty and fell behind Norris he issued a desperate plea with the McLaren pit wall to trade places with his team-mate.
However, McLaren rebuffed his approach and Piastri continued: “I knew what the answer was going to before I asked. But I just wanted a small glimour of hope that I could get it back but I knew it wasn’t going to happen.
“Lando didn’t do anything wrong so I don’t think it would have been fair to swap, but I thought I should ask. It doesn’t change much for the championship. I felt I did a good job and I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races.”
