Oscar Piastri still hasn’t gotten over his clash with Carlos Sainz in Hungary, which he considers “unacceptable” and directly responsible for the loss of his chances of victory.
Several hours after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri remains deeply upset with Carlos Sainz.
The McLaren driver believes that the contact with the Williams on the 39th lap completely changed the scenario of his race. While he was still leading the race ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, Piastri was trying to lap Sainz when the Spaniard moved back onto him.
Forced to ease off to avoid a more serious accident, the Australian lost precious time, enough to allow Norris to come out ahead of him after his second pit stop.
“What made me angry was being hit by a car that was a lap down.”
“The strategy was not the problem”
Contrary to some analyses, Piastri assures that McLaren had perfectly managed its strategy.
According to him, without this clash, he would have remained at the head of the race after the second wave of stops.
“The timing of our stop was good. We were covering Lewis Hamilton, which was totally logical. Without this clash, I would have come out ahead of Lando.”
The Australian acknowledges that, as soon as Norris got ahead, his chances of victory practically vanished.
“At that moment, I realized I didn’t have the pace to catch him. My chances of winning were over.”
Read more Racing Bulls move ahead of Alpine in the championship before the summer break
“It’s simply unacceptable”
Carlos Sainz explained after the race that a problem with the blue flag display system on his steering wheel could explain this incident.
An argument that Piastri categorically rejects.
“There were blue flags everywhere at the marshals’ posts. I was behind him for an entire sector and I couldn’t believe what had just happened.”
The McLaren driver believes that no circumstance can justify such a mistake.
“That he didn’t see me, that no one warned him or that there was a total lack of vigilance, it’s simply unacceptable.”
“He should start by looking at himself in a mirror”
Piastri also recalled that Carlos Sainz regularly does not hesitate to criticize the behavior of his rivals on track.
An attitude he finds hardly compatible with what happened in Hungary.
“He often shows himself very critical of other drivers, and many have already reproached him for his behavior on track. When you make a mistake like that, you should maybe start by looking at yourself in a mirror.”
Even though his later retirement due to gearbox failure made this clash inconsequential to the final result, Piastri remains convinced that this contact cost him a real opportunity for victory in Budapest.
Read more Audi continues its points haul with finally a top 10 for Nico Hülkenberg in 2026