Oscar Piastri has strongly criticised Carlos Sainz following their collision during the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. Piastri labelled the incident as “one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen on a race track”. The McLaren driver’s race ultimately ended in retirement due to a gearbox issue, a setback that occurred after the contact with Sainz.
The incident unfolded on Lap 38 at the Hungaroring when Piastri, who had pitted from the lead, was attempting to lap Sainz’s Williams. Sainz was engaged in a battle for position with Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin at the time, running outside the points. Piastri moved to overtake Sainz at Turn 2, but Sainz moved back towards the racing line, resulting in contact.
Piastri’s McLaren was forced briefly onto the grass, though it initially escaped significant damage. However, the collision cost Piastri crucial time, allowing his teammate Lando Norris, who pitted seven laps later, to emerge eight-tenths of a second ahead and take the net lead of the race.
Sainz received a five-second time penalty for causing the collision. The stewards deemed him “wholly responsible” for the contact. However, the penalty was reduced from the standard 10 seconds due to mitigating circumstances, specifically Sainz’s limited visibility of Piastri in his blind spot.
Sainz attributed the incident to a system failure with the electronic blue flag warnings on his steering wheel, stating he was unaware he was about to be lapped. He also mentioned being focused on his battle with Alonso.
Piastri dismissed Sainz’s explanation, highlighting that blue flags were still being displayed by marshal-operated light panels around the circuit. He stated, “I don’t really care if he didn’t see me. The fact that he didn’t, or no one told him, or there was a lack of complete awareness, is unacceptable”.
‘He was fighting Fernando for last place like it was the world championship. It cost me the lead of the race. He’s quite critical of others. Others have given him some stick before for being frustrating on track. When you go and do something like that, I think maybe you should look in the mirror a bit.’
The Australian had led the opening phase of the Hungarian Grand Prix after an impressive start from third on the grid, overtaking Charles Leclerc and then Lando Norris. He felt he had a reasonable chance of maintaining his position despite struggling for pace on the hard tyres.
Piastri’s frustration was evident over team radio immediately after the contact, exclaiming, “Get out of the f*ing way you idiot. Oh my god!”. He later told his team, “Oh mate, don’t even f*king talk to me right now” after being informed the incident cost him the lead.
The subsequent gearbox failure on Lap 56 forced Piastri’s retirement, ending McLaren’s hopes of a potential one-two finish. Norris went on to win the race, McLaren’s first victory of the 2026 season, with Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli completing the podium.
Piastri’s retirement marked his first DNF of the current season, following two DNS earlier in the year. The McLaren team will now head into the summer break, aiming to understand the issues encountered in Budapest.
