– Günther Steiner has sharply criticized the FIA’s decision following the collision between Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The former Haas team principal and current TV expert considers the five-second penalty imposed on the Williams driver too lenient and calls for a stricter approach from the race stewards.
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Sainz collided with Piastri’s McLaren during the race as the latter was trying to lap him. The Spaniard did not give way despite blue flags, prompting the race stewards to issue a five-second time penalty.
FIA cites technical issues
The comparatively mild penalty was justified by the FIA due to technical difficulties during the race. According to the world motor sport federation, a faulty GPS tracking system and problems with the blue flag software influenced the situation and were therefore considered mitigating circumstances.
However, Steiner cannot understand this reasoning.
In the Red Flags Podcast, he explains that in his opinion the usual ten-second penalty should have been imposed. “Whether right or wrong, it wouldn’t have changed anything anyway,” says Steiner. “You just have to make it clear that you don’t do something like that, no matter if there is a software error or whatever. There are blue flags. Give him the usual ten seconds.”
The South Tyrolean emphasizes that it is less about the immediate impact on the race result and more about the message to all drivers. “Don’t try to use mitigating circumstances. Who cares about mitigating circumstances? It was clearly a blue flag. Ten seconds is the standard, and that’s what he should have gotten. It wouldn’t have changed anything anyway.”
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Steiner demands clear consequences
According to Steiner, the FIA must first ensure that its systems work reliably. At the same time, technical problems should not affect the severity of penalties.
The collision had noticeable consequences for Piastri. The McLaren driver lost valuable time in the fight for the race win and later had to retire from the race due to a gearbox problem. Sainz finished in 18th place.
After the Hungarian weekend, Sainz goes into the summer break in 15th place in the drivers’ standings with six points. Piastri is seventh with 92 points. The next Formula 1 race will take place from August 21 to 23 in Zandvoort.
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