Carlos Sainz Defends Role in Oscar Piastri Clash

Carlos Sainz believes Oscar Piastri could have taken a more cautious approach while attempting to lap the Williams during their collision in the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The incident occurred on Lap 38 as Sainz battled Fernando Alonso, while fifth-placed Piastri attempted to preserve his chance of leading the race after making a pit stop. Lando Norris remained on track and sought to gain the advantage through an overcut strategy.

At Turn 2, Sainz moved across Piastri’s path and forced the McLaren driver to lose time before regrouping. Sainz then remained ahead through Turn 5, before the Australian completed the pass at Turns 6 and 7.

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Piastri was ultimately overcut by Norris, although the direct effect of the incident on the final result became impossible to assess after he retired with a gearbox failure 14 laps from the finish. Sainz received a five-second time penalty for his actions.

Sainz identified a failure of the blue-flag system on his steering wheel as the main cause of the clash. He stated that the warning lights were not displayed, leaving him without the expected information as Piastri approached to lap him.

“To be honest, I’m really sorry for Oscar, but this time I think I have a pretty good excuse for what happened,” Sainz said. “I don’t know if he could also have been a bit more careful, given that he was fighting for podiums and we were all having issues with the blue flags.”

Piastri had described Sainz’s conduct as unacceptable and suggested the Spanish driver should examine his own actions. Sainz accepted the penalty but stressed that the contact did not cause Piastri’s retirement.

“I took the five-second penalty and I’m okay with it. It was just contact, and I’m glad it didn’t disturb his race too much, but it is tough when we are having all these issues,” Sainz added.