TITLE CONTENDERS Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen CRASHED out of the Italian Grand Prix after a spectacular crash at Monza.
Both drivers are believed to be OK after the incident, with Hamilton appearing to avoid serious injury thanks to his car’s Halo.
Hamilton was narrowly leading the race when Verstappen in the Red Bull collided with the Brit’s Mercedes.
The seven-time World Champ was coming out of the pits and into the first chicane with Verstappen in pursuit of his title rival.
The Dutch star didn’t back down and hit the curb, flying into Hamilton.
Speaking to his team on the radio after the incident, Verstappen said: “That’s what happens when you don’t give space.”
Discussing the crash with Sky Sports, Hamilton said: “I’m a little bit stiff and sore on my neck because it [Max’s tyre] landed on my head but I’ll be OK.
“I was racing as hard as I could and I was in the lead, as the team told me with the timings, so they pitted me.
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“The stop was slow and I lost a couple of seconds – I came out, saw Daniel [it was Norris] come past, Max was coming and I made sure to leave a car’s width on the outside.
“I was ahead into turn one, turned into turn two and then Max was on top of me.
“It’s exactly the same scenario that happened at turn four where I was in the same position as Max and I gave way. That’s racing, this time he didn’t want to give way.
“He knew what was going to happen but he didn’t back out – I don’t know what else to say.”
Evidence suggests Hamilton’s was saved from serious injury by his Halo – a protective titanium ring around his helmet.
The Halo was introduced in 2018 to prevent drivers from being hit by flying debris or suffering a severe head trauma.
Many critics believe the incident was simply a driving crash and neither Hamilton nor Verstappen was at fault.
Verstappen added: “We knew it would be tight. I went around the outside and he kept on squeezing me. I just wanted to race.
“People will start to talk about Silverstone [when they also crashed] but I didn’t expect him to keep on squeezing and squeezing because we still would’ve had a car’s width out of Turn Two.
The stewards will decide who is to blame. In football you would call it a tactical foul. He knew that if Lewis stays ahead, then that is the race win.
Mercedes Chief Toto Wolff
“I don’t know why he kept pushing wider and wider.
“You need two people to work together to make the corner but unfortunately, we touched. If one guy is not willing to work, it is not going to happen.
“It’s very unfortunate what happened today but I think we our professional enough to step over it. I think for sure we can talk about it.”
Most important thing today is that the halo has done it’s job because it’s an awkward accident, thank god no one was hurt… To portion the blame to one side or the other, I think for this particular incident that’s very difficult to do.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner
Daniel Ricciardo went on to win the Italian GP, with his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris just behind him in second.
It was Ricciardo’s first victory since his triumph at Monaco three years ago and McLaren’s first win in 3,213 DAYS.
Hamilton’s Mercedes partner Valtteri Bottas completed the podium, while the Brit’s future colleague George Russell finished ninth.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
