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After the accident, Lewis Hamilton tried to free the Mercedes in reverse under the Red Bull - in vain
Photo:
Getty Images
Does that happen more often now ?:
It is already one of the images of the Formula 1 year: Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes has jacked up the Red Bull of his rival Max Verstappen, the Briton tries to free the car in reverse gear, gravel is splashing. It is clear that nothing works. Verstappen had long since got out and just walked away. Hamilton then also gives up, his team had pleaded with him ("Engine off, please, Lewis" it said on the radio), gets out, shakes his head. What happened? The World Cup competitors collided - again. And this time they both took each other out of the race. There was a first contact right from the start, memories of Silverstone were awakened when Verstappen had to go to the hospital after a crash with Hamilton and the Briton won. Surely that won't happen again, one or the other probably thought.Yes - it's about the world title.
The result:
the fight for points at the top has been postponed.
Instead, Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris won the Italian Grand Prix for McLaren's first one-two since 2010. Third was Valtteri Bottas, who drives his last season for Mercedes - and started from the bottom of the field.
Read the race report here.
Scare of favorites Monza:
The high-speed track in Italy has recently shown itself to be a guarantee for surprise winners and spectacular races.
In 2019, Charles Leclerc thrilled the Tifosi with the first Ferrari home win in nine years.
Last year, Pierre Gasly could hardly believe his luck at the Alpha Tauri.
World Cup competitors led by the nose:
This year, McLaren was combative even before the start.
"
We're trying to get Max at the start," said team boss Andreas Seidl on ORF about the strategy for his two pilots, who had started the race from second and third. And that worked: Ricciardo passed Verstappen, Hamilton conceded Norris for a short time, but had to line up behind him again after touching Verstappen in the fight for second place. The McLaren then managed to keep both behind them. This went on for 20 laps.
11.1 seconds that can mean the world:
It was the stops that brought variety - and what kind. Ricciardo was the first to come into the pits (lap 23), shortly afterwards Verstappen. But the Red Bull team, known for its quick pit work, made a mistake when changing tires, Verstappen stood for over eleven seconds. That led to the key point of the race: the world championship leader lost numerous positions and met Hamilton on the start-finish straight, who had stopped immediately after him and came out of the pit lane. Verstappen tried to overtake in the first chicane, Hamilton left little space, the Red Bull rumbled over the curbs, collided with the Mercedes and took off.
Thanks to Halo:
Neither driver apparently sustained any serious injuries - the repetition of the images showed the important role played by the cockpit protection Halo, which secured Hamilton from the falling car. How dangerous racing can be became more than clear in the scene.
Nobody moves back:
Verstappen said after the race that Hamilton had left him little space and: “You always need two people on a curve to work together. He didn't do that «. Hamilton countered that he had "driven as hard as I could," that it was racing. He said of his competitor: “He didn't want to make room. And he knew what would happen in turn two. "Mercedes sports director Toto Wolff called for" tactical fouls "to be avoided. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko rated the incident as a “racing accident” and saw a mistake in his own team: “It's our fault that Max and Hamilton got close at all.” Both drivers were invited to the stewards. They checked the incident and a decision is still pending.
Not the only collision:
Sebastian Vettel, who himself had almost been pushed off the track with his Aston Martin by Esteban Ocon (Alpine), was also disillusioned. In lap five he had already lost a few places after touching his team-mate Lance Stroll. And Mick Schumacher (15th) was again involved in a collision by his Haas colleague Nikita Masepin, Schumacher's Haas was thrown out by touching the Della Roggia chicane. Masepin received a five-second penalty for the action and was later eliminated.
