World title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were forced to retire halfway through the Italian Grand Prix following a violent clash between the two drivers at the first corner of the Monza circuit.
After Silverstone, the tension between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will rise a notch. While the two rivals for the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship title have already struggled with the recent British Grand Prix, the Briton and the Dutchman were once again in contact during the Italian Grand Prix, this Sunday at Monza. While Max Verstappen couldn’t resist Daniel Ricciardo at the start, the Red Bull Racing driver was forced to cover the Australian’s strategy on the 24th of 53 laps on the Grand Prix schedule. However, with a poorly tightened front-right wheel, Max Verstappen lost almost ten seconds on his pit stop, stepping out into the peloton. Two laps later, it was Lewis Hamilton who did the same, immediately responding to the passage through his garage of Lando Norris, who then firmly held third place by taking advantage of the top speed of his McLaren to keep in check the sevenfold. world champion.
These images will GO AROUND THE WORLD 🤯
Crash between #Verstappen and #Hamilton to #ItalianGP 💥
▶️ https://t.co/7plkVVV12v pic.twitter.com/BbcrksNGl8
– CANAL + F1® (@ CanalplusF1) September 12, 2021
Hamilton and Verstappen pass the buck
It was when it was time to take to the track that the unthinkable ended up taking place. Indeed, arriving at high speed during the braking of the first chicane, Max Verstappen tried to forceps against Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman’s objective was to take advantage of the situation to regain the ascendancy over the Briton. However, the Mercedes driver did not necessarily make every effort to leave enough room for his rival for the title of world champion.. As a result, Max Verstappen was thrown off balance by the vibrator inside the second corner and was unable to avoid contact with the Mercedes placed to his right. The result was to see Red Bull Racing literally stepping onto Lewis Hamilton’s single-seater, who can thank the halo for preventing direct contact between a Max Verstappen wheel and his helmet. Immediately, Max Verstappen yelled over the radio to complain that Lewis Hamilton didn’t give him enough room. The Briton, meanwhile, blamed the Dutchman for the crash. However, the FIA Stewards immediately announced that an investigation will be carried out at the end of the race.
