James Vowles believes Fernando Alonso should have allowed Oscar Piastri through before Carlos Sainz during the controversial Hungarian Grand Prix incident that ended in contact between the Williams and McLaren drivers. However, the Williams team principal also accepted responsibility for his team’s failure to warn Carlos Sainz about the approaching race leader in time.
The clash generated considerable controversy and tension during the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, with the dispute continuing after the race. Oscar Piastri was leading at the time but found his progress obstructed by Carlos Sainz, who was about to be lapped and was required to let the McLaren through.
Oscar Piastri angered by contact with Carlos Sainz
The incident left Oscar Piastri furious. Carlos Sainz received a five-second penalty and later presented his own version of events on social media, although the explanation was open to question and the Spanish driver did not apologise directly to Piastri.
Carlos Sainz subsequently linked the Oscar Piastri collision to Hungary’s blue-flag problem. The incident was among several controversies caused by difficulties with the warning system used to alert drivers that a faster car was approaching to lap them.
James Vowles says Fernando Alonso should have moved first
James Vowles defended his driver while instead questioning Fernando Alonso’s actions. Analysing the incident in his Vowles Verdict column, the Williams team principal explained that the two Spanish drivers were fighting for position but argued that the two-time world champion had been the first to disregard the blue flags.
“If I focus specifically on Carlos and Fernando, who was ahead of Oscar, Fernando had several flashing blue lights throughout the race and effectively remained ahead of Oscar,” James Vowles said.
“You have to follow the established order, so Fernando should have yielded first. Instead, he did not, but took the opportunity to overtake Carlos around the inside at Turn 1. However, on the run towards Turn 2, Carlos was back ahead.”
“With the blue panels showing at the next corner, Alonso passed Carlos on the inside, which left Carlos behind, as you can see in the video. As Carlos rejoined the track, Oscar went down the inside.”
The collision became particularly contentious because of Piastri’s reaction, although McLaren team principal Andrea Stella later offered a more measured view of Carlos Sainz’s responsibility for the incident.
Williams admits its warning to Carlos Sainz came too late
Despite defending Carlos Sainz, James Vowles was the first to acknowledge Williams’ own mistake. The engineers failed to warn their driver about Oscar Piastri’s arrival early enough because of a malfunction affecting the warning signals displayed on modern Formula 1 steering wheels.
“What we should have done, given that we were ultimately still fighting for a position that did not award points, was tell Carlos that something like this was happening when he was side by side with Fernando on the run towards Turn 2,” James Vowles concluded.
“That is what I mean when I say it was our fault, but I hope this makes it clear that it was not an attempt to block Oscar or anything else. In reality, in this situation there was another car behind, and it probably should have yielded before we did.”
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