Carlos Sainz lost four positions at the 2026 British Grand Prix after a rare penalty for mistakenly unlapping himself during a safety‑car period.
The Saturday race at Silverstone, halted by driver‑clash crash on lap 46, devolved into a safety‑car zone for the final six laps. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc emerged victorious, but the Williams team suffered a costly oversight.
Williams encouraged Sainz to unlap himself on the penultimate lap, a move which the team mistakenly believed was authorised only for cars listed in the “lapped cars may now overtake” message. The stewards confirmed that car 55 was, in fact, not a lapped vehicle at the crucial reference point and had missed the safety‑car overtaking window. Consequently, Sainz crossed the finish line in 12th but was subsequently dropped to 17th and a lap down.
According to the FIA report, the team’s failure to recognise the car’s status and to note its exclusion from the safety‑car message led to an “inadvertent gain of a lap.” Sainz becomes the first Formula One driver ever to receive a lap added to his final classification.
Only Alex Albon completed the race, following an early collision that forced his retirement on lap 43. The incident highlights the fine margins at high‑speed circuits and the importance of precise communication between teams and race control.
With the season still in momentum, other teams will be watching closely how Williams manages future safety‑car workarounds.
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