FAST AND FURIOUS
Max and Lewis crash out again
LEWIS HAMILTON and Max Verstappen produced their very own version of the Fast and the Furious as their title battle boiled over yet again.
Vin Diesel, the star of the film franchise, was a special guest at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
The crash that ended Hamilton and Verstappen’s race looked like a movie stunt that had gone badly wrong, with the Dutchman’s Red Bull landing on top of his British rival’s Mercedes.
Had it not been for the halo head protection system, Hamilton could have been nursing a far more serious injury than a sore neck after the Red Bull’s right-rear wheel slammed down on the Mercedes’ cockpit. Daniel Ricciardo cashed in to claim McLaren’s first victory since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. The Australian driver led home a one-two finish for the British team yesterday, with Lando Norris taking a career-best second.
But the afternoon was all about the collision between the top two drivers. Slow pit-stops for both brought the pair into close proximity, Verstappen drawing alongside his title rival at the
Rettifilo chicane. Hamilton moved to his left to defend his position at the right-hander, with the Mercedes driver narrowly ahead for the ensuing left-hander.
Verstappen ran out of room and ran over the kerb, launching his Red Bull into the air and running over the top of Hamilton’s Mercedes.
A furious Verstappen said: “That is what happens when you don’t leave any room.”
The Dutchman jumped out of the cockpit and stormed away, without checking on Hamilton’s condition.
One lap later, Hamilton emerged from his car after his second shunt in five races with Verstappen following the opening-lap crash at July’s British Grand Prix. The safety car was deployed for four laps to clear the stricken cars, with Ricciardo executing a perfect restart. Norris had fallen behind Charles Leclerc, but made a gutsy move on the inside of the Curva Grande to move ahead of the Ferrari and secure a one-two finish for Britain’s most successful F1 team.
“We have had an awesome weekend,” said Norris. “Four years ago, I joined this team and we have been working towards this.”
Valtteri Bottas, who started from the back following an engine penalty, finished fourth but was promoted to third after Sergio Perez’s five-second penalty for gaining an advantage in his tussle with Leclerc.