Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Ricciardo wins after Hamilton & Verstappen crash

McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo won the Italian Grand Prix after a frightening crash between title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

Red Bull's Verstappen flipped up beside Hamilton as the pair battled for position, the rear of Verstappen's car landing on Hamilton's Mercedes, the halo head protection device possibly saving the seven-time champion from injury.

Both retired, beached in the gravel, meaning Verstappen remains five points ahead of Hamilton in the title race.

However, the Dutchman was handed a three-place grid penalty by stewards after the race, to be taken at the Russian Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

Ricciardo's British team-mate Lando Norris was second after a brilliant late overtake, handing the team a first one-two since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix and their first victory in nearly a decade.

Ricciardo screamed over team radio as he crossed the line: "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Yes! For anyone who thought I left, I never left. Thanks guys."

How did Verstappen end up on top of Hamilton?

Following a rocket start by Ricciardo from second on the grid, Verstappen fell back to second place, as Hamilton battled with Norris for third after failing to gain a place.

As the race appeared to settle down into a pattern of both title rivals being held up by a McLaren, Verstappen reacted to Ricciardo's first pit stop by coming in and suffering a slow 10-second pit stop with what appeared to be a poorly positioned front-right wheel.

At the same time, Hamilton was busy overtaking Norris - as he benefited from starting the race on hard compound tyres, with all other front runners on worn mediums - and then came in for his stop.

But he also suffered a tardy stop and the pair met by chance on track as Hamilton left the pits. The Briton held the inside line and Verstappen refused to yield on the outside as they entered the slow-speed Rettifilo chicane.

Verstappen had more than half a car's length by Hamilton, but was squeezed off the track and as his Red Bull bounced against the kerbs, a rotating rear wheel launched him into the air and pitched it over Hamilton's car before thumping down on the air box which sits just above the driver's head.

The car's flat chassis slid down across Hamilton's cockpit and appeared to make contact with the halo head protection device introduced into F1 in 2018 following the deaths of Jules Bianchi in F1 and Justin Wilson in American Indy car in 2015.

Both drivers have been summoned to race stewards to discuss the incident, and penalties could be handed out.

Verstappen walks away from the aftermath
A differing version of events


Hamilton told Sky Sports afterwards: "I'm a little bit stiff and sore on my neck because it [Max's tyre] landed on my head but I'll be OK.

"The stop was slow and I lost a couple of seconds - I came out, saw Daniel [It was Norris] come past, Max was coming and I made sure to leave a car's width on the outside.

"I was ahead into turn one, turned into turn two and then Max was on top of me.

"It's exactly the same scenario that happened at Turn Four [at Imola earlier in the season] where I was in the same position as Max and I gave way, that's racing - this time he didn't want to give way.

"He knew what was going to happen as soon as he went over the kerb but he didn't back out - I don't know what else to say."

Verstappen said: "We knew it would be tight. I went around the outside and he kept on squeezing me. I just wanted to race. People will start to talk about Silverstone but I didn't expect him to keep on squeezing and squeezing because we still would've had a car's width out of turn two.

"I don't know why he kept pushing wider and wider.

"You need two people to work together to make the corner work but unfortunately, we touched. If one guy is not willing to work, it is not going to happen.

"It's very unfortunate what happened today but I think we are professional enough to step over it. I think for sure we can talk about it."

Hamilton will be thankful for the halo after the frightening collision

An amazing achievement for a team on the rise


The event at Monza took place in warm, dry conditions in Italy's Lombardy region near Milan at a track affectionately known as the 'Cathedral of Speed', owing to its rich motorsport history and old, disused banked corners nestled amid the trees in Monza's beautiful royal park.

The expectation was that Verstappen, who started on pole, would take - according to Hamilton - an "easy win", particularly with Hamilton only fourth after a poor start in Saturday's 'sprint' qualifying race to decide the grid for the grand prix.

But both McLaren drivers held their own after a great start and Ricciardo re-inherited the lead after Hamilton's pit stop. Norris had lost out during the pit stops and was behind Charles Leclerc's Ferrari when the race restarted after the extended safety car period.

The Briton chased Leclerc down the start-finish straight and then surprised the Monegasque by going on to the grass at high speed around the Curva Grande, passing the him on the inside.

Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas - who started last because of a power unit change despite winning Saturday's sprint qualifying - produced a superb recovery drive to claim the final podium place, albeit only after Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who finished third on the road, was hit with a five-second penalty for failing to give a place back after an illegal overtake on Leclerc.

That left Perez fifth in the final standings behind Leclerc, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz sixth, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll seventh, Alpine's Fernando Alonso eighth and his team-mate Esteban Ocon 10th.

Britain's George Russell, still on a high following the announcement he will partner Hamilton at Mercedes next season, came home ninth to score two more valuable points for Williams.

Driver of the day

Bottas has been flawless all weekend, just days after his rejection from Mercedes and replacement by Russell went public. But Ricciardo's recovery is arguably greater - a lost soul in a car he just couldn't understand all season, the Australian overtook his higher-achieving team-mate in the sprint race and got a superb start off the line in on Sunday to overtake a faster driver in a faster car in Verstappen. And he got a point for the fastest lap, too. Chapeau.

What happens next?


After a breathless triple-header in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, a weekend off is next up before the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi - where the racing could be a little more tame, even if relations between the two title protagonists may not be.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×