Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are both out of the Italian Grand Prix after a huge crash at the Rettifilo chicane on lap 26 of the race, as the championship battle ramped up once again in Monza. It’s the second time the two have collided, as they crashed heavily into each other at the British Grand Prix.
Tensions were heightened from the start as Hamilton fumed on the radio, claiming the Dutchman “pushed him wide” during the opening laps of the Italian Grand Prix.
After starting fourth on the grid, Hamilton got past Lando Norris and was pulling up alongside Verstappen, but the reigning world champion had to back out of the move and ran wide, handing the place back to the McLaren of Norris.
Shortly after the Virtual Safety Car was called out – after Antonio Giovinazzi spun on the first lap and left debris on the track.
“He’s pushed me wide,” Hamilton was heard saying, however, the stewards believed there was no investigation necessary between the two.
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Hamilton wary of Italian GP challenge standing in his way title battle
However, shortly after Verstappen and Hamilton both pitted for new tyres the two title protagonists collided on track fighting for position, with Verstappen’s Red Bull ending up on top of the seven-time world champion’s Mercedes car, with both drivers ending up in the gravel.
Both drivers were able to walk away from the accident, with Verstappen heard fuming on the radio “this is what happens when you don’t leave space, f**king hell”
Both drivers made their way back to the garages with their helmets on, with the safety car brought out for the incident, and as a result plenty of cars headed into the pits with the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo leading the race.
Verstappen, who started on pole, was fending off Hamilton after a slow 11-second pit-stop for Red Bull which meant the seven-time world champion had a net second place on track.
However, the huge crash came moments after with the two dramatically hitting into each other on the track, reminiscent of the British Grand Prix, where Hamilton was hit with a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision.
This time, however, stewards say they will investigate the incident after the race with both drivers out of the race.
Heading into the race, Hamilton’s confidence seemed to be fleeting ever so slightly, admitting it should be an “easy win” for the championship leader Verstappen.
“You saw the pace of the Red Bull, I don’t know if he was quicker than Valtteri, they’re so fast and now he’s on pole so it should be an easy win for him, me – I’ve just got to try and get past these two guys.
“I think they’ve [McLaren] got more pace and you think they’ve had all year they bring upgrades every week, I think, from what I’m told there’s only one race that they haven’t bought an upgrade.