FIA explains its decision on Verstappen-Sainz incident in Hungary

Both drivers had to report to the stewards after the first practice session due to an incident at Turn 12. Verstappen complained over the team radio that Sainz had blocked him and even braked unexpectedly, forcing him to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Sainz, in turn, said that his radio wasn’t working at the time, so he may not have been warned in time.

The stewards’ decision shows that Sainz was on the racing line on the straight approaching Turn 12 and braked early to get his brakes up to temperature, while Verstappen was on a fast lap. As a result, the Red Bull Racing driver had to swerve to avoid a collision. Over the radio, he said he thought it was a dangerous move by his former teammate.

According to Williams, the engineer had warned Sainz several times that Verstappen was approaching. However, the Spaniard explained that the cable of his team radio had come loose, so he never heard those warnings. The stewards accepted that explanation but also felt that Sainz should not have been warming his brakes on the racing line without communication with his team. In doing so, he still impeded Verstappen. Because the incident occurred during a practice session and Verstappen ultimately was not actually put in danger according to the stewards, it was limited to a warning.

After he had to avoid Sainz, Verstappen braked hard himself at Turn 12 and used hand gestures to show how frustrated he was about the incident. That prompted a separate investigation for possible erratic driving.

However, the stewards decided not to impose a penalty, nor even issue a warning. They took into account that Verstappen first had to move off the racing line to avoid Sainz and only then slowed to express his displeasure. Moreover, Sainz himself stated that he was in no way impeded by Verstappen’s action. Other drivers were not affected either, so the stewards saw no reason to take further action.

It didn’t end there for Sainz. The Williams driver had to report to the stewards again later, this time due to an incident at Turn 9. After overtaking Gabriel Bortoleto, he significantly reduced his speed, prompting another review for potential erratic driving.

Sainz explained that his fast lap had already been ruined before Turn 9 by Bortoleto’s move. According to the Spaniard, he then simply followed the normal racing line through the corner and aborted his lap after the exit. The stewards accepted that explanation and concluded there was no erratic driving. Therefore, this investigation was also closed without further consequences.