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Why Sainz received only a five-second penalty after Piastri collision
Stewards explained the lenient penalty following the collision between Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri at the Hungaroring, an incident that completely turned Piastri's race upside down.
By Nadia van Leeuwen - 2026-07-26T16:04:32.000Z - 2 min read
The Hungarian Grand Prix produced a number of memorable moments, but the collision between Williams' Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Oscar Piastri on lap 38 will live long in the memory of many. Piastri, who was leading the race at that moment, was in the process of lapping Sainz.
Following the incident, race control handed Sainz a time penalty of just five seconds. F1 stewards later explained why they opted for a relatively lenient sanction in this case, despite the clear impact the crash had on the course of the race.
The moment of contact occurred as Sainz was busy battling to pass Fernando Alonso in his Williams. As a result, he appeared to overlook the approaching McLaren of Piastri, who was trying to navigate his way past backmarkers in Turn 3.
Both cars touched, but Piastri reacted with lightning speed to narrowly avoid a potentially disastrous spin. The McLaren driver made no secret of his frustration after the race, describing the clash as 'one of the dumbest things I've ever seen'.
The collision came at a particularly unfortunate time for Piastri, who had enjoyed a strong start and was holding the lead of the race. The incident proved to be a turning point as his race went downhill from there, culminating in a definitive retirement fifteen laps from the end due to a faulty gearbox.
Teammate Lando Norris, on the other hand, was able to take full advantage of the situation. Following the collision, McLaren seized the strategic opportunity to bring Norris, who was running closely behind Piastri, straight into the pits for fresh tyres.
This swift intervention allowed Norris to leapfrog his teammate and take over the lead, clearing the way for his first victory of the 2026 season. A crucial win, especially given that Norris has previously claimed the world championship.
Behind Norris, Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the podium, further strengthening his lead in the championship. Lewis Hamilton received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, while George Russell recovered impressively to seventh following a difficult start with anti-stall. Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez also failed to see the finish line owing to technical issues.