Oscar Piastri confirmed that he exchanged messages with Carlos Sainz after the collision that cost the Australian the lead in the Hungarian Grand Prix of Formula 1. The McLaren driver also acknowledged that the failure in the automatic blue flag system influenced the context of the incident.
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The crash happened at turn 2, when Piastri was approaching Sainz to overtake him, while the Williams driver was fighting for position with Fernando Alonso at the back of the pack. Sainz returned to the racing line just as Piastri was advancing on the inside, causing the contact.
Piastri reacted harshly right after the episode and described the situation as ‘unacceptable and one of the stupidest things I have ever seen on a race track’. The GPS-based blue flag system had been experiencing problems since approximately lap six, forcing race control to use manual signaling.
Even so, the subsequent analysis indicated that Sainz had passed seven blue flag panels before the collision and had also received radio information that Piastri was approaching. The stewards considered the Spaniard fully responsible and applied a five-second penalty. Piastri, in turn, retired from the race on lap 56 due to a gearbox failure unrelated to the accident.
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Before the Dutch GP, Piastri confirmed that the two had talked after the incident: “We exchanged some messages, yes,” he said. Asked about the possibility of discussing the problem in the drivers’ briefing, the Australian emphasized that the malfunctioning system does not eliminate the responsibility of drivers and teams.
“When this system doesn’t work, obviously, you need to pay more attention to the blue flags,” concluded Piastri. He also assessed that the existence of the system does not necessarily need to be changed, but stressed that everyone must be extra careful when it presents problems.
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