(Motorsport-Total.com) – It was the big upset of the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix when McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who had been on course for victory until then, was touched by Carlos Sainz (Williams) in lap 38 during a lapping maneuver. Piastri subsequently lost the lead to his teammate Lando Norris – and later became the tragic hero of the afternoon when he also retired with a technical defect.
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“I had no idea at the time that I was about to be lapped, and I was in the middle of a battle with Fernando,” Sainz justifies himself. “I didn’t expect Oscar to suddenly appear. But even if I had expected him: He was in my blind spot. It was impossible for me to prevent the situation.”
What the TV images initially did not reveal: Due to a system error, Formula 1 drivers could not see blue flag signals on the displays in their cockpits, as has been customary for years. Instead, the lapping warnings at the Hungaroring were only displayed conventionally with physical blue flags and light signals at the trackside. An irritation for many.
Sainz admits that “better communication might have helped” – thus shifting some of the responsibility to his race engineer. At the same time, however, he says: “Things like that just happen sometimes in racing.”
Ralf Schumacher: Zero understanding for Sainz
A rather flippant “apology” that Ralf Schumacher won’t let the Spaniard get away with. The Sky expert can understand that Piastri was “furious”: “Okay, the two are fighting. But sorry: It’s about nothing. No one was fighting for points. Then the race leader comes, and the two are not able to make way for him. And Sainz then drives into his car. An absolute no-go from my point of view.”
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Even before the FIA race stewards assessed the incident, Schumacher demanded a harsh penalty: “A normal ten-second penalty will not be enough. For me, Sainz should also be penalized for the next race. An additional penalty in qualifying. Because that sets a precedent. That simply must not happen.”
In reality, however, the stewards were more lenient. Sainz received a five-second penalty. Actually, the regulations provide for up to ten seconds for such an offense. However, Sainz’s argument that Piastri was in his blind spot was accepted as a mitigating circumstance.
It was not the only incident…
Incidentally, it was just one of several tricky situations in Hungarian traffic that could ultimately be attributed to the failure of the cockpit signals. Another occurred between Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto and championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Schumacher also shows no understanding for the young Brazilian: “You have the engineer, you ask, you look in the mirror. And if he tells me he can’t look in the mirror when he’s driving, then he’s overwhelmed. Then he has to stop. That’s really unsportsmanlike.”
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