Damon Hill Warns Piastri to 'Assume Everyone Is Going to Knock You Off' After Sainz Clash

Oscar Piastri's Hungarian Grand Prix victory bid collapsed when Carlos Sainz ignored seven blue flags and collided with him while being lapped. The incident cost Piastri the race lead and drew a sharp rebuke from the Australian, while Damon Hill warned that leaders must treat lapped traffic as a constant threat.

Why it matters:

The clash damaged Piastri's championship momentum at a critical stage of the 2026 season. It also creates an awkward contradiction for Sainz, who has served as a Grand Prix Drivers' Association director since early 2025 and is expected to uphold the highest standards. For McLaren, losing a potential win to a backmarker’s mistake could prove decisive in a tight title fight.

The details:

• Sainz, battling Fernando Alonso, failed to yield despite seven blue flag warnings before hitting Piastri at Turn 2.
• Piastri called Sainz an “idiot” over team radio and later told media the lack of awareness was “unacceptable,” noting Sainz was fighting Alonso “for last place like it was the world championship.”
• FIA stewards confirmed Sainz had been informed Piastri was approaching, contradicting his radio claim that he had “no idea” the McLaren was behind.
• Sainz received a five-second penalty.
• Hill weighed in on Instagram: “You gotta assume everyone is going to knock you off!”
• The race suffered broader blue flag issues. Oliver Bearman also got a five-second penalty for impeding Isack Hadjar, explaining he had received blue flags every lap since lap six, making it nearly impossible to distinguish real warnings from glitches.

What's next:

McLaren needs Piastri to recover quickly from the lost win as the championship battle intensifies. The FIA also faces pressure to fix its blue flag protocols after multiple drivers were compromised by false or confusing warnings.