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      Lewis Hamilton considering clear-the-air talks with Verstappen as he jets out to New York after horror Italian GP crash

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      LEWIS HAMILTON is considering holding clear-the-air talks with Max Verstappen as F1’s governing body promised to re-examine their latest smash.Hamilton, who is currently in New York, said he was lucky to be alive after they collided at the Italian GP, with the wheel of Verstappen’s Red Bull striking his crash helmet.
      Hamilton may try and hash things out with VerstappenCredit: AFP
      The pair had a near-fatal clash at the Italian GPCredit: AFP
      Hamilton was spared serious injury thanks to the halo cockpit protection system in what was the second time they have clashed in five races.
      When quizzed if he would be speaking to the Dutchman, who also lives in Monaco – the same as the seven-times world champion, Hamilton said: “I need to have a think.
      “This will continue until we learn from our scenarios on track and I don’t have a history of these incidents, so ultimately when you get away with things like that it is easy to continue to do it.
      “All of us drivers are on the edge, and when we have the inside line, every single driver past and present, will try to hold on to his position.
      “Of course, when you are wheel-to-wheel going into a corner and the car is still alongside you, eventually you have to concede and give extra space.
      “When the car is not ahead of you, there is a known rule that the driver who is ahead, it’s his corner.

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      “Eventually a driver has to concede. I definitely do think we need to be looking into this and making sure the right decisions are being made.
      “No one wants to see anyone get injured and if we can put some better protocols in, we can avoid this kind of stuff in the future.”
      Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said after the race in Monza that Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Helmut Marko “knew Max was wrong.”
      In words that will raise eyebrows in Red Bull’s Milton Keynes’ HQ, Shovlin said: “Max would never have made it into that corner, but it seems he always prefers to force an incident rather than relinquish his position in relation to Lewis.
      “It’s a relief that Lewis was protected by the halo, otherwise it could have been worse.
      “You see Helmut and Christian weren’t trying to blame Lewis. It kind of feels like they know Max was wrong as they will try at every opportunity to point out Lewis as the culprit.
      “We believe that Lewis did nothing wrong and that Max was mostly the one who made the mistake.”
      COMING TO BLOWS AGAIN
      Their smash in Italy came after they also collided at speed at Silverstone, which resulted in Verstappen being sent to hospital.
      F1 chief Ross Brawn says he hopes the two title contenders iron-out their differences before their rivalry again comes to blows on track.
      However, Brawn does not expect either of them to back down in any of the remaining eight races of this thrilling season.
      He said: “I don’t think either will back off at either time for the rest of the year but I hope the championship is won on the track not in the barriers or the stewards room.
      “It’s clear both drivers could have avoided it. Ultimately I think it’s another consequence of two guys going head-to-head and not wanting to give an inch.
      “It’s a shame they ended up in the gravel because it could have shaped up to be a great race — and we were deprived of that.
      “I’m interested to see what impact this has on their ongoing battle for the title. We have lived through Silverstone which was a major and controversial incident.
      “Personally, I wouldn’t say it has changed the dynamic. You’ve got two cockerels in the farmyard at the moment and we are seeing the consequence of it.”
      Meanwhile, the FIA say they will investigate the incident, which saw Verstappen receive a three-place grid penalty that will be taken at the Russian GP.
      Race Director, Michael Masi said: “Incidents that are different, so it’s not necessarily high g-force impacts or anything like that, but are unusual, we do look at.
      “Our safety department does look at them in detail, investigate and see what we can learn and what we can improve for the future.
      “That’s how we have a whole lot of the safety features that we have today, and will continue to evolve into the future.
      “We are already collecting all of the data, so we have all of the information and that will all go to our safety department together with any photographs and anything else we have along the way.”
      Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More

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      Lewis Hamilton cheated death and walked away with just ‘a headache and sore neck’ after horrific Max Verstappen crash

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      FORMULA 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton was lucky to escape with his life after a horror crash with Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. Hamilton had just returned to the track after pitting and was battling with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris going into a narrow turn when the two world championship contenders collided.
      Lewis Hamilton was nearly flattened by Max Verstappen’s Red Bull after the two collided mid-raceCredit: Getty
      The 36-year-old took to social media to thank his fans for their support and to update them on his condition after the near miss in Monza: “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!
      Hamilton was the last to pit of the trio involved, coming out just behind Norris and slightly ahead of Verstappen, who was trying to make up for lost ground after his disaster 11.1 second pitstop.

      The Dutchman, 23, tried his upmost to catch Hamilton, who was narrowly ahead going into the corner, only to run out of track and crash into the sausage kerb at speed.
      The two cars then went hurtling off the track and Verstappen’s car went into the air and landed on top of Hamilton, who was only protected from Verstappen’s tyres by the halo on his car.
      The two world championship contenders were both stuck in the gravel and out of the race, leaving the path clear for Daniel Ricciardo, 32, to win and for Lando Norris, 21, to score P2 in a huge triumph for McLaren.
      Both drivers protested their own innocence after the race, with Hamilton claiming he left enough space for Verstappen to stay on the track and that he was clearly ahead of his championship rival on the chicane.
      Verstappen, on the other hand, claims the incident could have been avoided if he had been left more space going into the corner and that he was ‘squeezed’ off the track by Hamilton.
      Ultimately, Verstappen was found to be at fault for the collision and has been handed a 3-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi in a couple of weeks time.

      After the race, the stewards said that they “reviewed the video evidence and determined that the driver of Car 33 [Max Verstappen] was predominantly to blame for the collision with Car 44 [Lewis Hamilton] at Turn 2.”
      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
      Sunday’s result means that Verstappen stays on top of the championship leaderboard on 226.5 points with Hamilton in close second on 221.5 points.
      Norris’ P2 in Monza takes him up to 132 points, behind third-placed Valtteri Bottas on 141 points, who will be leaving Mercedes for Alpha Romeo at the end of the season.
      With eight races still to go and no runaway leader, this world championship could go right down to the wire and make for one of the most exciting ends to a Formula 1 season in recent years.
      Lewis Hamilton says he was left with a headache and sore neck after the Max Verstappen crashCredit: Splash
      Lewis Hamilton inches from tragedy as Max Verstappen’s car LANDS on him in terrifying Italian GP crash More

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      Emma Raducanu’s favourite driver Daniel Ricciardo won Italian GP despite missing bedtime to watch US Open final

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      DANIEL RICCIARDO won the Italian Grand Prix despite staying up way past his bedtime to cheer on Emma Raducanu.Raducanu, who is an F1 nut and counts Ricciardo as one of the 25 people she follows on Twitter, was at this year’s British GP.
      Daniel Ricciardo admitted he stayed up past his bedtime to watch Emma Raducanu ahead of his Italian GP win on SundayCredit: Getty
      British sensation Raducanu stormed to victory in the US Open final on Saturday nightCredit: PA
      She said at Silverstone: “When I have time, I love to watch Formula One and I’ve started to follow it week-by-week.
      “I watched the British Grand Prix and Daniel Ricciardo is my favorite driver.”
      And the Aussie was quick to praise her success after claiming his first F1 victory since 2016 in a shock McLaren one-two at Monza.
      He said: “I probably shouldn’t say this, but I watched it. I went past my bedtime last night.
      “I started watching it and it was a good game. Just how hard they hit ball. I was like – little powerhouses. It was awesome, I couldn’t switch it off.
      “I certainly exceeded my bedtime but Emma did great. Really, really good to see.

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      “I know she was at Silverstone, I missed her there, but look forward to welcoming her to another race this year.
      “Seeing her play last night, she was not overwhelmed and backing yourself is just so important.”
      Seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, says the whole of the UK should be proud of her achievement.
      He added: “It is just incredible to see her rise. The focus that she has, the sheer determination. She’s such a sweet person as well.
      “The UK has something to be really proud of in her. Can’t wait to see what she does next.
      “You can take inspiration from anyone and she’s definitely an inspiring figure. She just showed everything is possible.”
      Meanwhile, fellow Brit George Russell added: “It was an amazing achievement.

      “I can’t really put it into words what she’s achieved, so young, breaking so many records.
      “I’ve seen she’s a Formula One fan… a Danny Ric fan… which was a little bit disappointing.
      “I was rooting for her. She obviously pulled it off, so I’m very happy for her.”

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      Lewis Hamilton inches from tragedy as Max Verstappen’s car LANDS on him in terrifying Italian GP crash More

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      Max Verstappen handed three-place grid penalty for Russian GP after crashing into Lewis Hamilton at Monza

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix after crashing into Lewis Hamilton at Monza.Sunday’s Italian GP ended in the gravel for both title rivals after the Dutchman attempted an overtake into the Turn 1 chicane.
      Max Verstappen has been deemed responsible for a crash with Lewis HamiltonCredit: Reuters
      But he failed to complete the move and bounced OVER Hamilton’s car as the Mercedes driver defended his position.
      With both men out of the race, Formula One stewards waited until after the chequered flag to review the incident.
      Voth 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.

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      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.
      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.”
      Footage showed Verstappen was never in front of Hamilton in the moveCredit: Rex
      The Brit escaped serious injury thanks to his Halo deviceCredit: AFP
      Following the last of a triple-header of races in Italy, F1 now heads to Sochi for the Russian GP on September 26.
      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.”

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      Lewis Hamilton inches from tragedy as Max Verstappen’s car LANDS on him in terrifying Italian GP crash More

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      Hamilton says Verstappen’s car ‘landed on my head, I’m a bit sore’ after horror crash at Italian GP

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      LEWIS HAMILTON escaped his crash with Max Verstappen with just a sore neck after his rival’s Red Bull landed on top of his car.The Formula One title contenders both ended up in the gravel midway through Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix after a collision at the Turn 1 chicane.
      Lewis Hamilton was saved by his Halo in Sunday’s crashCredit: AFP
      Verstappen approached Hamilton from behind at the seven-time champion’s slow pit stop and attempted an overtake, before running out of space and bumping into his rival’s Mercedes.
      The crash sent his Red Bull into the air and it landed on Hamilton’s car, even clipping the Halo device that protected his head.
      The 36-year-old was therefore left with only a stiff neck as both men walked away from what could have been a nasty incident.
      Hamilton told Sky Sports: “I’m a little bit stiff and a bit sore on my neck.
      “[The car] landed on my head – but I’ll be okay.
      “From what I remember, I was racing as hard as I could. I finally got past Lando [Norris] so they pitted me. The pit stop was slow, Max was coming.

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      “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.”
      The pair were called to the stewards after the race at Monza, which saw McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo swoop to a stunning one-two victory.
      Verstappen, 23, maintained his innocence having initiated the overtake that led to the crash – but was handed a three-place grid penalty for the next race, in Russia in two weeks’ time.
      He had insisted that, like their collision at Silverstone earlier this year, ‘these things happen’.
      He stated: “We realised we were going to be close into Turn 1.
      “I took the wide line and I had to go on the green kerb to not make contact.
      Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled at the Turn 1 chicaneCredit: AFP
      The collision led to the title rivals both exiting the raceCredit: Alamy
      “He realised I was going for it and kept squeezing me and I wanted to work with him, I wanted to race.
      “Everyone automatically starts talking about Silverstone but 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.”
      Neither Hamilton nor Verstappen led the Grand Prix after Ricciardo launched ahead off the start.
      It led to an early battle at Turn 4, which saw the Merc on the outside and squeezed over the kerb in a rather ambitious move.
      Verstappen maintained that the two moments ‘cannot be judged the same’ whereas Mercedes boss Toto Wolff squared the blame with the Red Bull star.
      Wolff told Sky Sports: “The stewards are going to decide who is predominantly to blame.
      In football you call it a ‘tactical foul’. Max probably knew if Lewis stays ahead, that is the race win.Toto Wolff
      “In football you call it a ‘tactical foul’. [Verstappen] probably knew if Lewis stays ahead, that is the race win, possibly.
      “If you compare it to what Lewis said about Turn 4 on lap one, there was no space left – pushed off the track, actually.
      “Let the stewards make the judgement. I don’t want to be a punter like some of my colleagues.”
      Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen react to dangerous crash More

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      F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Hamilton and Verstappen CRASH OUT of Monza race after big collision – latest updates

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      LEWIS HAMILTON will be gunning to take top spot back from Max Verstappen as the F1 season heads to Italy this weekend.The Dutchman Verstappen went to the top of the Driver’s Championship after his victory at home in the Dutch Grand Prix last week.
      And he will have pole at Monza after a dramatic qualifying session.

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      Follow all of the latest updates below…
      2 FAST 2 FURIOUS
      Hollywood A-lister Vin Diesel was in attendance today at Monza.

      DAN THE MAN
      Daniel Ricciardo was a bag of smiles on the podium, and even drank champagne in a trademark shoey.

      RICCIARDO SPEAKS
      Ricciardo says: “Can I swear?!”
      “It’s about …. time!”
      “I felt good and knew something good was to come.”
      DANIEL RICCIARDO WINS THE ITALIAN GP
      That is McLaren’s first win since 2012 – a total of 3,213 days ago!
      Norris is second.
      Perez is third.
      Bottas is fourth.
      TWO LAPS TO GO
      Ricciardo has this. Heartbreak for Norris if he does not get the win.
      LAP 48/53
      It is Ricciardo, Norris, Perez, Bottas, Leclerc, Sainz, Stroll, Alonso, Russell, Ocon.
      MAZEPIN IS OUT
      The Haas driver becomes the fifth retirement of this race as his car loses power and grinds to a halt.

      PEREZ AND BOTTAS FIGHTING FOR THIRD
      Red Bull verses McLaren round 2. This could get tasty too.
      NORRIS IS DESPERATE FOR THIS WIN
      But the Aussie remains in P1. Will McLaren swap their drivers? Norris has been excellent this season.
      PEREZ HAS A PENALTY
      He is given a five second time penalty for leaving the track at turn one when he went wheel to wheel with Sainz.
      Meanwhile…out in front.

      LAP 36
      Bottas is closing in… He can’t, can he?
      A McLaren win would be popular though.
      BOTTAS IS NOW FOURTH
      He started last. Has a brand new engine. And is going for it.
      Great drive so far.
      IT IS ALL KICKING OFF
      Perez moans at Sainz for not leaving him any room.
      Bottas overtakes Leclerc who is forced wide into turn one.
      And Mazepin and Schumacher – the two Haas teammates – also come together.
      SAFETY CAR IN – WE ARE RACING AGAIN
      Wonderful get away from Ricciardo, but what about Norris! Amazing overtake on Leclerc and into P2.
      That was brave as he was forced wide and went on to the dirt. This is shaping up very well for McLaren.

      HALO DOES IT’S JOB
      Hamilton was saved serious injury thanks to the cockpit protection.

      LEWIS IS HEADING BACK TO THE GARAGE
      Max is also approaching the Red Bull garage.
      For everyone asking, Lewis is OK. He’s on his way back to the paddock now.— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 12, 2021

      BOTH DRIVERS ARE FURIOUS
      Hamilton was coming out of the pits and into the first chicane. He was in the lead.
      Verstappen should have backed out but Max being Max, refused to give and inch.
      He hit the sausage kerb and is sent flying into Hamilton’s Mercedes. Taking them both out of the GP.
      TV replays show that Hamilton could have been saved by the Halo.
      HAMILTON AND VERSTAPPEN CRASH
      Huge drama as the two championship leaders come together. Hamilton and Verstappen are BOTH out of this race.
      Amazing scenes.
      LAP 26 HAMILTON PITS FROM THE LEAD
      His stop is 4.2 seconds and he is back on track.
      LAP 24 HAMILTON GETS NORRIS
      The Mercedes man eventually gets his countryman. He is in the lead but yet to stop.
      DISASTER FOR VERSTAPPEN – A SLOW STOP
      He stops for tyres at the end of lap 23 but he is stationary for 11.1 seconds.
      LAP 23 RICCIARDO PITS
      He stops from the lead for fresh tyres at the end of lap 22. His stop promotes Verstappen into the lead.
      BOTTAS IS ON A CHARGE
      The Merc man, who started last in 20th remember, is now up to ninth. That’s some going.
      OCON AND VETTEL TOUCH
      The Alpine man closed down Vettel and gave him no space.
      That was a bit naughty from the Frenchman and the incident is being looked at by the stewards.
      RICCIARDO AND NORRIS DOING A GREAT JOB
      The Aussie is controlling the pace in front and leads from Verstappen.
      And Norris is having to defend like hell to keep Hamilton behind him, but he is bringing Leclerc in to play.

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      What is halo in F1? Cockpit system explained which saved Lewis Hamilton from serious injury at Italian GP

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      THE HALO cockpit has been part and parcel of F1 for the last four seasons.And it helped save Lewis Hamilton from serious injury after he crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix.
      Grosjean had walked away from one of the worst F1 crashes in recent years – and the Halo system has been praisedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      What is the halo cockpit system?
      Safety is paramount in Formula One and sadly down the years some haven’t been as lucky as Roman Grosjean at the Bahrain GP last year.
      Jules Bianchi was killed after a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, losing control of his Marussia in treacherous conditions.
      And his mother was quick to point out that the halo – which wasn’t a feature of the cars six years ago but was being worked on by the FIA – had ‘saved Romain’s life’.
      French journalist @Julien_FEBREAU received a message from Jules Bianchi’s mother that said: “They introduced the Halo following my son’s accident and the Halo saved Romain’s life today. This is great. I’m glad that he’s okay.”❤️❤️❤️❤️— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) November 29, 2020

      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.
      It is designed to prevent drivers from getting injuries from flying debris or suffering head trauma like in the tragic case of Bianchi.
      The F1 governing body took a long time to research and test the design, which does slightly impact the field of view for drivers.
      When it was launched there was also criticism from some fans, who believed the hefty new structure around the cockpit meant they couldn’t see the racers properly.
      The system was controversial when brought in as some thought it went against F1’s open cockpit appealCredit: Reuters
      World champion Lewis Hamilton revealed back in 2018 that he felt it could be the first step towards a closed cockpit around the driver, but that hasn’t yet come to fruition.
      He said: “I think we’re moving towards a closed cockpit, I think that would look better, there’s some real great concepts online of a closed cockpit.
      “It’s a difficult one as when they introduced it, talked about it, they mentioned a 17 per cent improvement in safety and it’s difficult to really ignore that.
      “It definitely doesn’t look good, we know that, we’ve said that.”
      The Halo Cockpit system improves safety but some F1 drivers hate it
      The system was slammed by fans and drivers alike in 2018 – but has proved its worthCredit: Reuters
      How did it save Grosjean in Bahrain crash?
      Grosjean’s car snapped clean in half at the force of the crash, with the impact measured at a scarcely-believable 53G.
      Despite the fireball that consumed the wreckage of his vehicle, Grosjean was saved from major burns by his four layers of protective clothing and was able to jump to safety.
      The sturdily-built halo is designed to take the full force of impact first, protecting the drivers head from serious injury.
      The ruined barrier at the Bahrain GP after impactCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      In this case, it appears to have worked with Grosjean suffering just minor burns to his hands and miraculously avoiding serious trauma to either his body or head.
      Ross Brawn, F1 managing director, was adamant after the race that without the halo we could have been looking at another tragedy.
      He said: “There is absolutely no doubt the halo was the factor that saved the day – and saved Romain.”
      The huge fireball erupted after Grosjean hit the barrier at almost 150mphCredit: AP:Associated Press
      And world champ Hamilton said after winning the race in Sakhir: “It was such a shocking image to see.
      “His car, the cockpit, I don’t know what Gs he pulled, but I’m just so grateful that the halo worked.
      “I’m grateful the barrier didn’t slice his head off. It could have been so much worse.”
      Grosjean was immediately air-lifted to hospital after the crash and praised the F1 safety system for saving his life.
      He said: “I wasn’t for the halo some years ago, but I think it’s the greatest thing that we brought to Formula 1 and without it I wouldn’t be able to speak to you today.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton inches from tragedy as Max Verstappen’s car LANDS on him in terrifying Italian GP crash

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      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 and Verstappen collided at the Italian GPCredit: AP
      Hamilton appeared to be saved by his car’s Halo – a protective shield around his helmetCredit: AFP
      Verstappen went over the top of his title rival’s car
      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.
      Both drivers got out of their respective motors after the terrifying crashCredit: Splash

      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.
      Mercedes confirm George Russell as Lewis Hamilton’s new F1 team-mate for 2022 season More