TWENTY SIX drivers investigated by FIA stewards after major Hungarian Grand Prix blunder

Photo: © IMAGO

Hungarian Grand Prix

TWENTY SIX drivers investigated by FIA stewards after major Hungarian Grand Prix blunder

The FIA stewards had a hectic weekend in Hungary

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 27 July 2026 15:59

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F1's governing body, the FIA, have revealed that their stewards investigated a whopping 26 drivers for a safety car infringement following a dramatic race start at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Last weekend marked the 11th round of the F1 2026 championship, but it also hosted support series races for Formula 2 and Formula 3.

And the seventh round of the 2026 F3 championship certainly kept the stewards busy.

Article continues under video

Multiple incidents occurred across the opening two laps of Sunday's feature race at the Hungaroring, but it was the damage caused on Tuukka Taponen's No.8 car that led to a bizarre mixup.

As the two drivers at the front of the pack fought for the lead on the first lap, Audi-backed Freddie Slater made contact with Taponen's right rear tyre as the pair headed out of Turn 11, sending Slater's front wing end plate flying and leaving Taponen with a puncture.

Shortly after, DAMS Lucas Oil driver Gerrard Xie ran wide before attempting to go squeeze alongside two of his rivals into the hairpin on the second lap, taking himself and Maciej Gladysz out of the race in the process, triggering a yellow flag and eventually, a safety car.

Taponen then took this opportunity to pit in order to change his punctured rear tyre, causing the remaining drivers out on track (yes, all 26 of them) to incorrectly assume they too had been called into the pits.

FIA stewards investigate entire F3 grid after safety car mixup

Aside from Xie and Gladysz who had crashed moments before and Taponen who came into the pits with legitimate damage, all the remaining drivers on the F3 grid were then promptly investigated by the FIA stewards as a result of coming into the pits without being instructed to.

In an official statement from the governing body after the incident, it was confirmed that the stewards had handed all 26 drivers involved in the safety car infringement with a reprimand due to the major grid-wide blunder.

After reviewing video, timing data, and GPS data, the stewards stated: "The evidence showed that the cars listed entered the Pit Lane while the Safety Car was deployed. The Race Director had not instructed the cars to use the Pit Lane, and the marshalling light panels clearly indicated that the cars were to remain on the track.

"Article 40.11 of the FIA Formula 3 Sporting Regulations states: 'Other than when the cars and the safety car are required to use the pit lane, no car may enter the pits whilst the safety car is deployed unless it is for the purpose of changing damaged tyres, or a change of climatic conditions necessitates the use of a different specification of tyre or repairing a genuine accident damage."

This differs from F1 where teams are allowed to use the pit lane to their advantage in the hope of gaining a cheap pit stop from a safety car.

After determining that none of the exceptions permitted under Article 40.11 applied to this bizarre situation, the stewards decided all 26 drivers had breached the 2026 F3 Sporting Regulations.

Explaining why further punishments had not been handed out, the FIA statement continued: "Ordinarily, such a breach, particularly if committed by one car or a limited number of cars, would warrant a more significant sporting penalty. However, the Stewards note that all the cars concerned entered the Pit Lane and that none stopped at their designated garage area, conducted a pit stop, or derived a sporting advantage.

"The Stewards consider these circumstances sufficiently mitigating to impose a Reprimand.

"This decision arises from the exceptional circumstances of this incident, which involved a collective failure by the drivers concerned. It should not be regarded as establishing a precedent."

The stewards then confirmed that any similar breaches which may occur in future will be assessed independently.

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