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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is not happy with what his Mercedes opponent Lewis Hamilton did in the Italian Grand Prix that led to their collision and eventual loss.
Midway through the race at Monza, Verstappen and Hamilton figured in a collision at Turn 1. Mercedes' lead driver held the inside line at the turn to gain advantage over his fellow championship contender, but the Red Bull star forced his car at the turn that led their tyres to collide. Verstappen's car ended up on top of Hamilton's, preventing the two to continue and getting them the DNF (Did Not Finish) tag instead.
After the battle, though, Verstappen took it to Twitter to react to the unfortunate clash. Nonetheless, he also did not hold back his thoughts and expressed his belief that Hamilton should be blamed for the incident. After all, for Verstappen, the Formula 1 reigning champion should have given him enough space to turn into the corner.
Today was very unfortunate. The incident could have been avoided if I had been left enough space to make the corner. You need 2 people to make that work and I feel I was squeezed out of it. When racing each other, these things can happen, unfortunately #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/9xOmnqAtd8
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 12, 2021
Given how tight the race is for the Formula 1 title–with Verstappen ahead at 22.5 points and Hamilton close behind at 221.5–it's not surprising why the two do not want to give any inch of an advantage to each other. However, the crash was certainly as it could have been fatal for both drivers.
For what it's worth, investigation after the incident revealed that Max Verstappen is “predominantly to blame” for the collision, which is why he has been given a three-place grid penalty in the next race.
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Per ESPN:
“The Stewards observed on CCTV footage that the driver of Car 44 [Hamilton] was driving an avoiding line, although his position caused Car 33 [Verstappen] to go onto the kerb. But further, the Stewards observed that Car 33 was not at all alongside Car 44 until significantly into the entry into Turn 1.
“In the opinion of the Stewards, this manoeuvre was attempted too late for the driver of Car 33 to have “the right to racing room”. While Car 44 could have steered further from the kerb to avoid the incident, the Stewards determined that his position was reasonable.”
It's not the first time the two Formula 1 stars collided on each other, as they also figured in an accident during the British Grand Prix. At the time, however, it was Lewis Hamilton who was “predominantly to blame.”
With the way things are going, it looks like the race could get more intense and physical as the Formula 1 World Championship enters its last few races.
