The FIA stewards gave Carlos Sainz a five-second penalty, rather than the standard ten, for his collision with Oscar Piastri at the Hungarian Grand Prix. They found him wholly responsible, but accepted that Piastri was not visible to Sainz as a mitigating factor. Lewis Hamilton and Oliver Bearman also took five seconds each, and Kimi Antonelli, Hamilton and Sergio Pérez were sanctioned before the start.
Why Sainz got five seconds, not ten
The stewards' statement, as published by PlanetF1, says they examined video, telemetry, team radio and in-car camera evidence. On lap 38, approaching Turn 3, Sainz (car 55) was battling Fernando Alonso (car 14). The team had told him blue flags were being shown for the approach of Piastri (car 81). The stewards concluded Sainz was "wholly responsible" for the collision.
The statement nevertheless said that "while the standard penalty for causing a collision is a 10-second time penalty, the stewards identified a mitigating factor". Because of Sainz's position relative to the circuit and the other cars, Piastri was not visible to him before the attempted overtake, and the limited visibility reduced the degree of culpability. Autosport added that problems with the blue-flag system meant drivers did not receive clear signals during the race. The statement cites no regulation number.
Sources differ on where the contact happened: the statement says the approach to Turn 3, while PlanetF1 and Silverstone say Turn 2. The contact cost Piastri the lead to Norris, and he later retired with a mechanical problem (Autosport says mechanical failure, PlanetF1 gearbox failure). Sainz finished 18th, two laps down.
Other decisions
| Driver | Decision | Reason (as written by Lapchive) |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | Three-place grid drop after qualifying | Unnecessarily impeded Piastri |
| Antonelli | Three-place grid drop, one penalty point | Did not slow sufficiently under single yellow flags at Turn 14 |
| Pérez | Pit-lane start | Suspension changed under parc fermé without the Technical Director's approval |
| Hamilton | 5s (lap 66) | Pit-lane speeding, 80.1 km/h |
| Bearman | 5s (lap 58) | Ignored blue flags for Hadjar's approach (car 6) |
| Hadjar | €400 fine | Pit-lane speeding, 83.8 km/h |
Silverstone said Hamilton's five seconds contributed to him finishing fifth, behind Leclerc. Bearman started 17th and finished 19th. Lapchive records Sainz's five seconds as served in the pits on lap 43, which does not match the statement's lap 38. Other incidents involving Leclerc, Sainz and Verstappen ended with no further action.
Sources
- PlanetF1 – FIA explains Carlos Sainz penalty at Hungarian Grand Prix
- Autosport – Why Sainz only got a five-second penalty for Hungarian GP clash with Piastri
- Lapchive – 2026 Round 11, Hungarian GP
- Silverstone – F1 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix results: Norris back on top
- GPFans – Hungarian Grand Prix 2026 results: final classification