Carlos Sainz has been issued an official warning by Formula 1 stewards following an incident with Max Verstappen during Friday's first practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
The Williams driver impeded Verstappen's push lap approaching Turn 12, forcing the Red Bull driver to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Verstappen, who was mid-way through a flying lap preparation, was forced to abandon the run after encountering the Spaniard running slowly on the racing line.
"It was actually really dangerous — like he even slammed on the brakes," Verstappen complained over team radio in the immediate aftermath.
The incident occurred during the early stages of opening practice at the Hungaroring on Friday. Verstappen was on a hot lap when he encountered Sainz, who had just left the pits and was preparing his own flying attempt. Sainz had been warned repeatedly by his engineer but was unable to hear due to a disconnected radio cable — a technical failure he only discovered once back in the pits.
The stewards' investigation confirmed that Sainz had been preparing his own push lap and was braking early to warm his brake components. The Spaniard revealed that the cable connecting his radio had disconnected, preventing him from hearing his engineer's warnings about Verstappen's approach.
"On the straight approaching Turn 12, Car 55 [Sainz] was on the racing line and braked early as Car 3 [Verstappen] approached from behind on a push lap," the stewards' verdict read. "Car 3 had to move to the right to avoid a collision."
The stewards acknowledged the radio malfunction as a mitigating factor but determined that Sainz, operating without team communication, should not have been preparing his brakes on the racing line. As the incident occurred during free practice and did not create genuine danger, a formal warning was deemed proportionate.
Verstappen also escaped punishment after appearing to brake sharply and gesture at Sainz while overtaking him. The stewards accepted that Sainz was not affected by the reaction and chose to take no further action against the Dutchman.
A secondary investigation into Sainz for allegedly erratic driving against Alpine's Paul Aron later in the session also ended without sanction. Sainz explained that his lap was already compromised before encountering Aron and that he was merely following the racing line before aborting the attempt — an explanation the stewards accepted, concluding that no further action was warranted.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101645/1/f1-stewards-reveal-erratic-driving-decision-after-max-verstappen-carlos-sainz
