Max Verstappen has been handed a three-place grid penalty following his collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix.
As Hamilton emerged in front of the Dutchman from his pit stop, Verstappen launched an attack round the outside of the Mercedes driver going into Turn 1.
The nature of the first corners being a chicane, the outside became the inside at Turn 2.
Whereas Hamilton gave Verstappen space on the outside going into Turn 1, however, he closed the door at Turn 2.
Verstappen did not yield though, driving over the sausage kerbs, an action which caused his Red Bull to bounce on top of the Mercedes in an unusual and frightening accident.
Despite appearing to be hit by the rear wheel of the Red Bull, Hamilton safely emerged from his Mercedes, the halo once again showing its worth by preventing a more serious accident.
Nonetheless, the collision ended both of their races, with the two drivers called to see the stewards as the incident was investigated after the race.
Believing that Verstappen was predominantly at fault, the stewards at Monza stated: “Car 33 [Verstappen] was not at all alongside Car 44 [Hamilton] 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.”
5 points ahead of Hamilton at the top of the championship standings, Verstappen will consequently drop three places at the Russian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.
The 23-year-old was certainly more at fault for the accident. Behind Hamilton by the length of his front wing going into Turn 2, Verstappen could have backed out of the move and driven left over the kerbs, just as Hamilton had done when the Red Bull driver had forced hum wide at the Della Roggia chicane on Lap 1.
Yet whether he deserved a penalty is debatable since Hamilton could also have given him more space going round Turn 2.
The second time they have come together in a race-ending incident after Silverstone, in which Hamilton received a 10-second penalty for sending Verstappen into the barriers at Copse, both drivers blamed each other in their post-race interviews.
The collision and consequent penalty have therefore added more drama to an already incredible season as the race for the championship title takes yet another twist.
