Lewis Hamilton escapes tragedy by inches as title rival Max Verstappen’s car lands on his HEAD
Lewis Hamilton escapes tragedy by inches as title rival Max Verstappen’s car lands on his HEAD during terrifying crash as they raced wheel-to-wheel during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
Title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen sensationally took each other out of the Italian Grand PrixPair jostled for position on the first corner at Monza after Hamilton had emerged from the pit laneRed Bull driver Verstappen was forced wide as he went wheel-to-wheel with the Mercedes of HamiltonVerstappen’s wheels mounted a ramp on the curve which launched his car over Hamilton’s The back wheels came within inches of Hamilton’s head with protective Halo device sparing him injuryDutch driver Verstappen railed against British rival on team radio before storming off back to the pit laneHamilton emerged unscathed a couple of minutes later as Formula One title race took dramatic twist
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British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton was inches from tragedy at the Italian Grand Prix after title rival Max Verstappen’s car flew over his head after they took each other out of the race.
Verstappen’s Red Bull flew off a ramped curve at Monza and onto the top of Hamilton’s Mercedes, with only the protective Halo device preventing the reigning world champion from serious injury.
The Red Bull went nose-first into the gravel with both drivers emerging from the carnage unscathed in the latest dramatic twist in an increasingly heated world championship duel.
Verstappen didn’t hang around to check on the condition of Hamilton, instead storming off to the pit lane having ranted to his team via radio, with the British driver emerging from the cockpit of his car a few minutes later.
The two drivers both accused the other of being in the wrong after the race, with Hamilton saying Verstappen ‘knew what was going to happen, but he still did it.’
Verstappen responded by saying he had ‘nowhere to go’ and blamed Hamilton for not giving him the room he needed to make the corner.
Lewis Hamilton was saved from serious injury by the protective Halo device on his Mercedes after the Red Bull of Max Verstappen flew off a banked curve and up over his car during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
The rear end of Verstappen’s Red Bull came within inches of Hamilton’s head after their dramatic collision at Monza
The two drivers took each other out as they tussled for position in the latest dramatic twist in their championship tussle
Verstappen’s Red Bull flies over Hamilton’s Mercedes after they collided jostling for position on the first corner of the 26th lap
The Red Bull was left nose-first in the gravel trap with the Mercedes wedged underneath after the sensational crash
The dramatic moment happened on lap 26 of 53 at the Italian circuit. As Hamilton left the pit lane, Verstappen drew up alongside him and they duelled for position at the Variante Del Rettifilo chicane.
Dutch driver Verstappen ran wide and the raise kerb launched his Red Bull into the air, with the rear of the machine landing on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes, which had been forced off the track.
Verstappen’s car also ploughed into the gravel trap at the side of the track, with the back of his Red Bull left resting on Hamilton’s car.
The two championship rivals jostled for position on the chicane after Hamilton had just emerged from the pit lane
Wheel-to-wheel, the two drivers refused to give an inch with Verstappen forced wide to mount a ‘sausage ramp’ on the curve
Verstappen criticised Hamilton for not giving him enough room on the team radio before leaving his car and storming off
Hamilton emerged unscathed from his Mercedes a few minutes later with the Red Bull still resting on the front section
Hamilton took a moment to inspect the respective damage suffered by the two cars as he and Verstappen crashed out
In a clear sign the incident – the second of the season after they collided during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, sending Verstappen into the tyre wall – will do little to cool tensions between the pair, Verstappen stormed off without checking on Hamilton’s wellbeing.
‘That’s what happens when you don’t leave any room,’ Verstappen said via radio to his Red Bull team as he exited his car and walked back to the pit lane.
Hamilton lifted himself out the cockpit of his Mercedes a few minutes later to make the same walk.
The Briton was almost certainly saved from serious injury by the Halo safety device, a titanium bar placed above the driver’s head that has been mandatory in Formula One since 2018.
Replays showed Verstappen’s car bouncing off the Halo with Hamilton unable to do little else than duck out the way as the Red Bull’s wheels and rear chassis flew before his eyes.
The two wrecked cars came to rest in a haze of smoke and dust from the gravel as both drivers’ race ended prematurely
A race marshall checks on the condition of Hamilton after he emerged from his Mercedes to walk back to the pit lane
The two drivers must await an investigation by race stewards after the race to determine whether they will be penalised.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Hamilton said he was feeling stiff and had some soreness in his neck.
He added: ‘Just from what I remember, I was racing as fast as I could, I was in the lead time wise, they fitted me, the pitstop was slow and I lost a couple of seconds. I came out, I saw Max was coming, I left a car’s width, was ahead going into turn one, ahead in turn two, then he’s on top of me.
‘He just didn’t want to give way today, he knew going into turn two what was going to happen, going over the kerb, but he still did it. We will talk to the stewards but I don’t know what to say.’
Verstappen replied: ‘We realised it was going to be close into turn one, we cut across and I had to go onto the green part. He realised I was going for it, he kept on squeezing me, I wanted to race.
‘I didn’t expect him to keep on squeezing, if he’d given me a car width we would have raced out of turn two. Then there was nowhere to go, he pushed me onto the sausage kerb, we touched. He kept on squeezing as I was alongside him.
‘You need two people to work together to make the corner, we were fighting for position and unfortunately we touched. If one guy is not willing to work, what can you do? It’s not going to happen.
‘It is very unfortunate what happened today, nobody likes to see that but we are professional enough to step over and keep going.’
The Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, of McLaren, went on to win the race, which ran behind a safety car for a few laps after the crash.
The two drivers were also embroiled in a blame game after their crash at Silverstone back in July.
Verstappen was taken to hospital for checks after a collision of tyres on the first corner saw his Red Bull sent spinning across the gravel and into the tyre wall.
Hamilton was punished with a 10-second penalty during the race but Verstappen said that ‘was not severe enough for what he caused.’
Hamilton went on to win the race at his home circuit but Verstappen claimed his celebrations had been too exuberant while he was still in hospital following the crash.
‘[It is] disrespectful if one guy is in the hospital and the other one is waving the flag around like nothing has happened while you push the guy into the wall with 51G,’ said Verstappen the following week.
‘Not only that, just the whole reaction of the team besides that. That’s not how you celebrate a win, especially a win how they got it.
‘That’s what I found really disrespectful and in a way it shows how they really are, it comes out after a pressure situation. But I wouldn’t want to be seen like that.’
At the British Grand Prix in July, Hamilton and Verstappen collided at the first corner, sending the Dutchman spinning off
Verstappen said afterwards that Hamilton’s celebrations after winning at Silverstone while he was still in hospital after the crash showed a lack of respect
