A GPS malfunction that began on lap six of the Hungarian Grand Prix sent car-position data into disarray and disrupted the blue-flag system at the Hungaroring. The failure helps explain a series of incidents between lapped drivers and lead-lap cars, most notably the contact between Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri.
Carlos Sainz was not the only driver caught up in the confusion. Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon also admitted that they had kept Isack Hadjar behind for several corners because they did not realise they were being shown blue flags. The problem affected the race from its early stages until the chequered flag, creating an unusual and potentially decisive complication during an already eventful Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
Hungarian GP blue-flag chaos disrupts the race
It is certainly unusual to see a driver fighting near the back of the field interfere with the battle at the front. That is especially true in Formula 1 and at traditional European events on the Formula 1 calendar, where blue flags carry a particularly strict meaning. In American oval racing, by contrast, the distinction is far less clear and a lapped competitor is not always obliged to move aside immediately.
Nevertheless, this unusual situation unfolded from the sixth lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Numerous misunderstandings occurred between drivers who remained on the lead lap and those who had already been lapped. The most striking example was the contact between Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri, but Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon also acknowledged that they had held up Isack Hadjar for too long.
GPS failure began on lap six
From lap six, the car-position information stopped working correctly on both Formula 1’s official live timing service and the GPS systems used by the teams at the circuit. The coloured markers representing the individual drivers began moving unpredictably from one side of the Budapest circuit map to the other.
However, this was not merely a visual inconvenience for fans following the race through the championship’s official application. The failure of Formula 1’s automated blue-flag system also disrupted the normal warnings provided to drivers, contributing to the major misunderstandings that became a prominent talking point after the race.
How Formula 1’s blue-flag warnings normally work
Under normal circumstances, a lapped driver is warned that a leading car is approaching in three different ways. Trackside light panels flash blue while displaying the number of the driver who must move aside, a similar warning appears on the steering wheel display and the team’s engineers provide further information over the radio.
All three warning methods were effectively compromised at the same time from lap six until the chequered flag. The trackside panels continued flashing throughout the race because of the large number of lapped cars, but they did not display the number of the driver for whom the warning was intended.
The steering wheel notifications disappeared entirely, while engineers on the pit wall were forced to rely on television pictures instead of accurate GPS positioning when informing their drivers about approaching traffic.
FIA documents reveal missing race-control messages
The official FIA documents provide further evidence of the problem, showing an almost complete absence of blue-flag notifications from Race Control. That differs significantly from what normally happens at other Grands Prix, where dozens of messages can appear from the middle of the race onwards.
These entries usually begin with the words “waved blue flag”. Numerous examples appeared during this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, but the expected stream of notifications was missing in Hungary.
Why Carlos Sainz was partly exonerated
The GPS malfunction partly explains Carlos Sainz’s actions, despite video footage showing the Spanish driver passing eight trackside panels flashing blue. His team eventually warned him that Oscar Piastri was approaching from behind, but the contact occurred at a point where Carlos Sainz’s visibility was limited.
That restricted view was also the reason the former Ferrari driver received a five-second penalty rather than a ten-second sanction. Carlos Sainz was not, however, the only driver to impede a lead-lap competitor during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman describe the same problem
“We had no information on the steering wheel,” Esteban Ocon explained after the chequered flag. “It’s true that there were electronic panels with blue flags, but without the number. I, for example, battled with Isack Hadjar for a few corners because I didn’t know I was a lap down.”
Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon’s teammate, expressed the same view after receiving a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags while Isack Hadjar was attempting to pass.
“I’m sorry about the penalty, but honestly it was a nightmare,” Oliver Bearman said. “On every lap I could see the panels with blue lights, but they weren’t working properly and it was impossible to tell whether they were for me, the car behind me, the car in front or anyone else.
“There was no malicious intent. I was one lap down and wasn’t trying to do anything wrong, but of course I’m sorry for anyone whose race was compromised because of me. From lap six, there were blue flags on every lap. It was difficult to understand what was real, what was false, what was for me and what wasn’t, because normally your number appears on the panels, but this time there was only blue.”
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