Max Verstappen found guilty of causing Italian GP collision with Hamilton

MAX VERSTAPPEN has been found guilty of causing the collision with Lewis Hamilton during the Italian GP at Monza and has been given a three-place grid penalty

Max Verstappen will serve a three-place grid penalty after being found to be the guilty party in the collision that took place between his Red Bull and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton during lap 26 of yesterday’s (September 12) Italian GP at Monza.

His punishment for being found “predominantly to blame” for the incident will be served during the Russian GP that takes place on Sunday, September 26, in Sochi, but the Dutchman stays top of the driver’s table by five points from the British seven-time world champion.

In a nasty-looking crash, the two rivals entered the chicane with neither seeming to wish to yield, resulting in both cars leaving the track, and Verstappen’s car being launched into the air, with all four wheels off the ground, and coming to rest with its rear end parked on top of the Mercedes, with one tyre actually touching onto Lewis’ crash helmet.

Both drivers had had a continual battle this season, with varying incidents taking place to fire the situation between them, and they were summoned to the stewards to face an inquiry into what had happened, with neither of them apparently wanting to shoulder the blame for the incident.

The steward’s inquiry reportedly read as follows: “Car 44 (Hamilton) was exiting the pits. Car 33 (Verstappen) was on the main straight. At the 50m board before Turn 1, Car 44 was significantly ahead of Car 33. Car 33 braked late and started to move alongside Car 44, although at no point in the sequence does Car 33 get any further forward than just behind the front wheel of Car 44”.

“During the hearing, the driver of Car 33 asserted that the cause of the incident was the driver of Car 44 opening the steering after Turn 1 and ‘squeezing’ him to the apex of turn 2. The driver of Car 44 asserted that the driver of Car 33 attempted to pass very late and should have given up the corner either by backing off sooner, or by turning left behind the kerb”.

“The stewards observed on CCTV footage that the driver of Car 44 was driving an avoiding line, although his position caused Car 33 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 and therefore find that the driver of Car 33 was predominantly to blame for the incident”, as reported by express.co.uk.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check The Euro Weekly News for all your up-to-date local and international news stories.

Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments