F1

CARLOS SAINZ has suggested it is ‘pretty clear’ who was at fault for Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s horrific crash at the Italian Grand Prix. Verstappen’s Red Bull car landed on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes in a hugely controversial crash after the two collided going into turn one at Monza, putting both drivers out of the race.
Hamilton was saved by the halo on top of his car, which is designed to protect drivers from such incidentsCredit: AP
Sainz claims it is ‘clear’ who was to blame for the crash, calling it ‘avoidable’Credit: AP
Speaking about the incident after the race, Sainz said: “From my point of view, the accident is pretty clear.
“I’m not going to go into detail, I’m not going to give you my opinion because I feel like there’s going to be some talk [about it] in the next driver meeting.
“I think it is always avoidable. I think two don’t crash if one doesn’t want [to].
“They are fighting for a championship. You’re more exposed to these kinds of incidents [in that scenario], like we’ve seen in the past.
“I guess it’s a natural thing in Formula 1, two guys that are fighting for the championship tend to collide more often than not.”
Hamilton, 36, claimed that the corner was clearly his and his opponent should not have challenged for it, whilst Verstappen, 23, insisted that Hamilton ran him off the road.

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
The seven-time world champion had just pitted and was returning to the track ahead of Verstappen, who tried to catch up with him, only to run out of track and crash into the sausage kerb.
This sent the Dutchman’s car up into the air and he landed on top of Hamilton, as the two cars skidded off the track.
Both ended up in the gravel and one of Verstappen’s tyres narrowly missed Hamilton’s head thanks to the halo which protects drivers from such incidents.
The halo was introduced back in 2018 and is an added safety feature now included on all F1 cars, acting as titanium ring of protection around the driver’s cockpit.
Hamilton narrowly avoided a potentially life-threatening injury and once the incident was investigated afterwards stewards, Verstappen was found to be at fault for the crash.
HORNER’S VIEW
Verstappen was penalised for the incident by receiving a three-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi next weekend.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said he believed the crash was the result of a racing incident, but went on to say that Red Bull would not appeal the stewards’ verdict.
“We are disappointed with the three place grid penalty, but accept the stewards decision,” he said.
“We felt what happened between Max and Lewis was a genuine racing incident.
“You can argue for both sides but ultimately it’s frustrating and disappointing to see both cars out of the race in what is proving to be an exciting championship.”

🏁 F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
Despite this, the Red Bull driver still has the advantage in the championship leaderboard with 226.5 points, whilst Hamilton remains in close second on 221.5 points.
This was the second time the two championship rivals collided this season after another controversial incident during the British Grand Prix put Verstappen out of the race and gave Hamilton a vital win.
The rivalry between the two is really hotting up with just eight races to go and this dramatic championship run-in will surely have more twists and turns before its conclusion in Abu Dhabi in December.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More

ASTON MARTIN have announced Sebastien Vettel and Lance Stroll will remain as their drivers for next season and they both excited about the future.Vettel, 34, penned a multi-year contract with the British outfit ahead of the 2021 campaign but it was not clear he would stay amid upcoming changes.
Sebastien Vettel (left) and Lance Stroll (right) are looking forward to better campaign next year
Formula One is set to introduce new rules and regulations which will see cars adapted, both in terms of looks and performance.
But Vettel is eagerly anticipating the changes and feels there will be an opportunity for Aston Martin to grow as a result.
He said: “I am really looking forward to racing the new generation of Formula One cars.
“Their look is very different and the new technical regulations should give us cars that can race much more closely than recently.
“More exciting racing will be great for the drivers as well as for the fans. The changes are so big that every team will be starting from a new beginning, so it will be a great opportunity for us at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team.
“I believe in the strength of our new growing team, so I am already looking forward to 2022.”

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)

And the German’s optimism is shared by Stroll, 22, who will remain as his team-mate in 2022.
He said: “Next season I will be embarking on my sixth year in Formula One, alongside my team-mate Sebastian.
“We started this Aston Martin Cognizant Formula On Team campaign together and I greatly look forward to continuing the journey with him next year.
“We have not achieved what we set out to do this year, but that has only amplified our hunger and drive for success next season.
“Now, with the prestige and support of Aston Martin, and the brilliant new sponsor-partners that such a prestigious brand has attracted, we are well positioned to improve our performance in 2022.”
The pair are yet to win a Grand Prix this season, with Vettel’s second place in Azerbaijan their best result so far.
Vettel also finished second in Hungary but was later disqualified as officials were unable to take the required amount of fuel from his car for sampling following the end of the race.
And Aston Martin’s appeal was later rejected by the FIA.
⚽ Read our Football news live blog for the very latest rumours, gossip and done deals
Hundreds of Celtic fans try to get into Real Betis game amid heavy police presence More

RED BULL advisor Helmut Marko has accused Lewis Hamilton of faking his injuries caused by his Italian GP crash with Max Verstappen. The Formula One title rivals were involved in a serious collision which saw Hamilton saved by the halo on his Mercedes after Verstappen’s car landed on the Brit’s head.
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull landed on the halo of Lewis Hamilton’s MercedesCredit: AFP
Lewis Hamilton attended New York’s celebrity Met Gala just a day after the crashCredit: Getty
Hamilton was taken to hospital for checks after the smash and revealed on social media he is experiencing ‘headaches’ and a ‘tight neck’.  
But despite saying he will see a specialist the 36-year-old attended New York’s Met Gala just 24 hours after the incident. 
And Red Bull chief Marko believes the seven-time world champion is putting on his injuries caused at the Monza circuit. 
The Austrian, 78, told German newspaper Osterreich: “’It was a normal racing accident. All the stories around it were pulled up by the hair by Mercedes.
“Verstappen had already got out when Hamilton tried to go back to get out of the gravel. 
“The medical car saw that and drove on. And then a show is put on that poor Hamilton is suddenly injured.”

Stewards deemed Verstappen responsible for the crash and handed him a three-place penalty for Sochi’s Russian Grand Prix on September 26. 
And Mercedes boss Totto Wolf believed the Dutchman knew exactly what he was doing as he described it as a “tactical foul”. 
Both drivers were forced to retire which allowed McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo pick up his first victory in over three years.
A show is put on that poor Hamilton is suddenly injured. Helmut Marko, Red Bull Advisor

While Hamilton wrote on social media: “It’s days like today, I am reminded of how lucky I am.
“It takes a millisecond to go from racing to a very scary situation. Today someone must have been looking down, watching over me!
“My necks a bit sore as the adrenaline wears off – it was a bit of a hit on the head, so naturally I have one big headache but I’m doing okay!
“The halo stopped the crash from being a lot worse and I’m incredibly grateful to all those that work to make our cars and racing safer. TeamLH … the support I receive from you keeps me pushing and fighting.
“I’m so thankful for each and everyone of you, you are truly the best. Still we rise!”
Verstappen increased his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to five points after finishing second in Saturday’s sprint qualifying.
Hamilton was forced to retire after the crash at MonzaCredit: Sportphoto24/Marco Canoniero
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More

NEWLY-RELEASED dash-cam footage shows just how serious Lewis Hamilton’s smash with Max Verstappen at Sunday’s Italian GP could have been.The F1 icons collided as the Dutchman attempted an overtake into the Turn 1 chicane and it resulted in him almost running over the Brit’s head.
New dash-cam footage shows Max Verstappen nearly running over Lewis Hamilton’s head on Sunday

Verstappen received a three place grid penalty as a result.
And only the halo safety system on Hamilton’s car stopped the British legend from being seriously injured.
He walked away with just a headache and a sore neck but it could have been much worse.
And the newly released footage from the front of Hamilton’s car shows just how life-threatening the smash could have been.
The video was posted on F1’s Twitter account, was watched more than 200,000 times and received more than 13,000 likes and 1,800 retweets.
Verstappen tried to pass but failed to complete the move and bounced OVER Hamilton’s car as the Mercedes driver defended his position.

JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
With both men out of the race, Formula One stewards waited until after the chequered flag to review the incident.
Both were called to answer questions on the crash and it was decided that Verstappen, 23, should be handed a three-place penalty for the next race’s starting grid.
Two penalty points have also been added to the Red Bull star’s licence, which was previously clean.
After reviewing the footage, stewards determined that Verstappen was never even ahead of Hamilton’s front wheel and therefore did not have the right to the racing line.
The Brit was also considered to have taken an ‘avoiding line’ to limit the chances of contact with his rival.
‘VERSTAPPEN TO BLAME’
That left them with the view that Hamilton had put his car in a ‘reasonable’ position’ and Verstappen was ‘predominantly to blame’.
The incident also saw the 36-year-old escape potentially serious injury as the Red Bull bounced off the halo device above his head.
It left Hamilton feeling ‘sore’ but both men walked away from the scene of the crash.
Hamilton was initially against the Halo’s introduction.
He said four years ago: “It definitely doesn’t look good; we know that.
“I think we are moving towards a closed cockpit. The things that have happened with drivers being hit on the head, it is kind of crazy that today we are still vulnerable.
“Our head is the most precious part of our body; it is exposed. I definitely don’t argue against it.”
‘GRATEFUL TO BE HERE’
But four years on, superstar Hamilton said after Sunday’s crash: “I am so grateful I am still here. I feel incredibly blessed that someone was watching over me today.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been hit on the head by a car before – and it is quite a big shock for me.
“We are taking risks and it’s only when you experience something like that that you get the real shock of how you look at life and how fragile we all are.”
Verstappen had played down his role in the collision before seeing the stewards.
He declared: “These things happen. We are all professional enough to get on with it and keep on racing each other.
“But I did not expect him to keep on squeezing, squeezing, squeezing. He did not even need to.
“If he would have left me a car width we would have raced out of Turn 2 and he would have probably would have stayed in front anyway.
“He kept on pushing me wider and wider and at one point there was nowhere to go and he pushed me onto the sausage kerb and that is why we touched, because the rear tyre bumped up to his tyre.”
Following the last of a triple-header of races in Italy, F1 now heads to Sochi for the Russian GP on September 26.
The ten greatest F1 drivers of all-time – according to SunSport’s motorsport correspondent Ben Hunt
Verstappen increased his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to five points after finishing second in Saturday’s sprint qualifying.
Hamilton said: “I made sure I left a car’s width on the outside for him. I went into Turn 1 and I was ahead and was ahead going into Turn 2, then all of a sudden he was on top of me.”
Sir Jackie Stewart has since slammed Verstappen for not checking on Hamilton as the Dutchman walked away from the crash.

FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More