Championship rivals, Verstappen and Hamilton, have their most heated run in yet
In what has been an eventful Italian GP,
Max Verstappen and
Lewis Hamilton delimited each other from the race at Monza after both fought for the race line going into a corner.
Going wheel-to-wheel into the first chicane of the track at Monza, Verstappen found his
Red Bull effectively riding on top of Hamilton's
Mercedes as the seven-time world champion wouldn't allow him any room.
Racing out of the pits after a terrible 11.1 second stop - a rare mistake from the typically rapid constructors - Verstappen (who was chasing down the lead prior) came face to face with his championship main rival, before the racers' respective stubbornness caused this rather terrifying incident.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1437050170697568257?s=20
You can hear that 'Mad Max' was quick to absolve himself of responsibility and point the finger at Lewis, as his first and only comment once the cars come to standstill is: "That's what you get when you don't leave the space, f***ing hell".
The Dutchman then simply walks away from the scene with seemingly very little regard for his fellow competitor's safety. Here you can see a better angle of the Red Bull, effectively, mounting the Mercedez:
https://twitter.com/MikeMcD89405256/status/1437049940778291200?s=20
As enjoyable as the drama may have been for most watching, it just goes to show
how important the halo is protecting these drivers, The safety measure only came in during the 2018 season but this isn't the first time it's helped avoid what could have been a very dangerous incident.
There will obviously be a lengthy investigation of the incident by the
FIA. The crash came 30 laps into the 14th race of the season, with Daniel Ricciardo having enjoyed a rare lead right from the off.
It wasn't until after the race that images emerged of just how serious the collision was. Terrifying.
The Australian managed to bring home out a first race win of the season - his first since 2018 and first for McLaren, in fact - with his team securing a one-two finish thanks to Lando Norris. Meanwhile, Hamilton's teammate, Valtteri Bottas, clinched the final spot on the podium.
A cracking race that is sure to have a big impact on the remainder of the season.
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