The team principal of Williams, James Vowles, has shared his explanations regarding the blue flags incident that involved Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Vowles has admitted the team’s responsibility in this episode while highlighting the failure of the FIA’s automated blue flag system as a key factor in the error.
In the latest episode of the show Vowles Verdict, the Williams director addressed the chaotic events that led to the collision between Sainz and Piastri, debunking any allegations of bad faith on Sainz’s part. Vowles pointed out that the situation became complicated due to a failure in the race control technology and a delayed reaction from Fernando Alonso, who was driving just behind.
“Budapest was a frustrating event,” commented Vowles. “We found ourselves caught in an incident with the race leader, and that is our responsibility, not Carlos’s at that moment.” Vowles emphasized the importance of improving communication mechanisms in case of FIA system failures.
The Williams chief clarified that confusion arose from the collapse of the automated GPS system that manages the blue flags. Normally, this system alerts drivers when the leader is 1.6 seconds away and officially activates at 1.2 seconds. On this occasion, the system failed, forcing the race officials to use traditional flags, which did not accurately indicate which position should yield.
Vowles explained that at critical moments, the blue lights operated without specifying which driver should give up their position. This complicated the situation, as Sainz was not correctly informed that Piastri was about to attack.
After the incident, Sainz received a five-second penalty and finished the race in 18th position, while Piastri had to retire due to a gearbox issue.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
