Hungary 2026: Sainz gets five-second penalty

Carlos Sainz received a five-second penalty after contact with Oscar Piastri in Hungary, with reports saying stewards explained the lenient sanction.

Carlos Sainz received a five-second penalty after contact with Oscar Piastri in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Autosport and Motorsport.com reported that the stewards later explained why they chose that sanction for the lap-38 incident at the Hungaroring, where Piastri had rejoined into lapped traffic while leading.

Those outlets also reported that Piastri criticised the incident after the race while accepting McLaren’s strategy. RaceFans separately reported that Piastri was highly critical of Sainz’s move, while Motorsport.com said Sainz later drew attention on social media over his explanation of the clash.

The incident involved two drivers at very different points in the 2026 standings. Piastri was seventh in the drivers’ championship on 92 points, while Sainz was 15th on six. Sainz, the Spanish driver, had entered 241 Formula 1 races from 2015 to 2026, with four wins, five poles and 29 podiums.