Onboard footage and radio transmissions have emerged, challenging Carlos Sainz’s explanation for his collision with Oscar Piastri during the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. Sainz, driving for Williams, made contact with Piastri’s McLaren as the latter attempted to lap him.
Following the incident, Sainz claimed he was unaware of Piastri’s presence and that avoiding the collision was ‘impossible’. He cited a malfunctioning blue flag system as a primary factor in his lack of awareness.
The automatic blue flag system experienced a failure approximately nine laps into the race, leading to incorrect signals. The system was subsequently paused, requiring marshals to manually display blue flags around the Hungaroring circuit.
Drivers were also not receiving the standard blue light warnings on their steering wheels, which typically aid in identifying approaching faster cars. This technical issue complicated blue flag adherence for many competitors.
However, video evidence reportedly shows Sainz passing eight blue flag signals on track. Furthermore, radio communications confirm that the Williams pit wall had informed Sainz of Piastri’s approach.
Piastri himself stated he observed blue flags on ‘all the marshal signals’ and had been directly behind Sainz for an entire sector. He expressed frustration at Sainz’s perceived lack of awareness.
Stewards issued Sainz a five-second time penalty for causing the collision. This was a reduction from the standard ten-second penalty, acknowledging mitigating factors such as ‘limited visibility’ of blue flags and Piastri being in Sainz’s blind spot.
Piastri reacted strongly to the incident, describing Sainz’s driving as ‘unacceptable’. He stated, ‘I don’t really care if he didn’t see me. The fact that he didn’t and no one told him or there was a lack of complete awareness, is unacceptable.’
The contact cost Piastri valuable time, allowing his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to gain an advantage through the pit stop sequence. Piastri later retired from the race due to an unrelated gearbox failure.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also criticised the overall handling of blue flags during the race. He referred to some rival pit wall staff as ‘Teletubbies engineers’ for failing to adequately inform their drivers of oncoming traffic.
Wolff’s comments followed similar issues that affected Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton, who were also hindered by slower traffic during their battles.
Carlos Sainz is currently in his second season with the Williams F1 Team, partnered with Alex Albon. Oscar Piastri continues to race for McLaren alongside Lando Norris.
