McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was furious after a lapped Carlos Sainz clipped him in the Hungarian Grand Prix, but he praised the team’s strategy.

During his second pit stop, Piastri re‑entered a zone of lapped traffic, trailing Williams driver Sainz and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. In Turn 2, Sainz cut back to the racing line, veering into Piastri’s car without noticing the Australian’s position. The collision cost Piastri the lead, which slipped to teammate Lando Norris. While intermittent GPS glitches affected the blue‑flag display on the steering wheel, marshal‑operated light panels still signalled the lapped car.

Piastri called the incident “unacceptable”, blaming Sainz for failing to heed the blue flag. Sainz explained that he was unaware of Piastri’s position, citing a blind spot and the lack of dashboard lights. The clash earned Sainz a 5‑second penalty.

Despite the setback, Piastri accepted that covering Lewis Hamilton’s pit stop was correct and that the team’s timing was fine. Norris went on to win the race, while Piastri retired later due to a gearbox failure, ending a chance at second place.