Hamilton slips up in bid to pull off big Italian job
LEWIS HAMILTON lost further ground to rival Max Verstappen after he only finished fifth in yesterday’s sprint at the Italian Grand Prix.
Valtteri Bottas delivered a fine win from pole at Monza, with Verstappen taking the runner-up spot and two points.
The Red Bull driver will also start on pole for today’s race, with Bottas sent to the back of the grid after taking on his fourth engine of the campaign here.
McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo finished in third ahead of teammate Lando Norris.
Not only did Hamilton fail to score, but he will now have his work cut out for today’s main event with a grid position of fourth – promoted one spot following Bottas’ penalty.
The world champion started on the front row but he staggered away from his marks and was gobbled up by Verstappen, Norris, Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly on the 430-metre dash to Variante del Rettifilo.
Heading into the opening chicane, Hamilton was the unwanted meat in a Gasly-Norris sandwich and he cautiously navigated the opening bends.
The Mercedes ace dropped to sixth before Gasly ran over his own front wing, damaged after bumping Ricciardo’s McLaren, and slammed into the wall at the Curva Grande.
Gasly was unharmed in the accident, but the safety car was deployed as his wrecked AlphaTauri was removed from danger.
By lap four, the sprint was ready to restart and Bottas made no mistake in dropping
Verstappen following a fine exit from the Parabolica.
As Bottas galloped into the distance, with Verstappen keeping the Finnish driver honest, Hamilton could make no impression on Norris.
The seven-time world champion spent the following 14 laps on the back of Norris’ gearbox.
But the Mercedespowered McLaren proved too quick in a straight line for Hamilton to cause his countryman any real problems.
Bottas, this week dropped by Mercedes, took the chequered flag 2.3secs clear of Verstappen at the Temple of Speed, with Hamilton crossing the line a distant 20secs adrift of his team-mate.
On Ferrari’s home turf, Charles Leclerc took sixth ahead of his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jnr.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez started ninth and finished in the same position.
Italy’s Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs presented the top drivers with medals.
Verstappen said: “It is the first medal of my life. The race was better than expected.
“We made a good start and got up to second, scored some points, and we start on pole tomorrow.
“It will be an interesting battle.”
Bottas, who will be replaced by George Russell next year, said: “I feel good. It feels like a while since I have finished first.”