Verstappen, Hamilton crash as Ricciardo wins Italian Grand Prix

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo claimed victory in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after the top two drivers on the Formula One roster Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, crashed into one another on the circuit in Monza.

Australian driver Ricciardo claimed his first win of the season at his 14th time of asking after he finished the race in a time of 1:21:54.365. The Australian has risen up to eighth in the rankings for the season, and has amassed a total of 83 points after he was awarded 27 points following his triumph in Monza. Fellow McLaren driver Lando Norris finished in second place, and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas finished in third place, picking up the final podium place. Ricciardo secured a first race win since 2012 for McLaren.

An interesting part of the race was the subplot between Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, both of whom failed to finish the race. Their first main clash came early on in the British Grand Prix in July, where Verstappen crashed very early after a clash with Mercedes driver Hamilton. Hamilton was handed a 10-second penalty, but ultimately went on to win the race. Verstappen was disgruntled in the aftermath of the race, stating that the penalty handed to Hamilton was insufficient due to the amount of damage he caused.

When Verstappen and Hamilton met on the track in the Dutch Grand Prix earlier in September, Hamilton was roundly booed, and he faced a hostile environment in the home country of his rival Verstappen. Verstappen went on to win the race and take an overall lead over Hamilton.

Both drivers came together in the 26th lap of the Italian GP as Verstappen tried to cross Hamilton in a tight corner. The Red Bull driver hit a kerb before crashing into Hamilton’s car. Verstappen’s car landed on top of Hamilton’s, but the Englishman was luckily protected by the Halo safety device before both cars ended up on the gravel.

Verstappen will serve a three-place penalty at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi on September 26th after it was adjudged that Hamilton was not guilty of any offence in the crash. Verstappen presently holds a five-point lead over Hamilton ahead of their next meeting at the Russian Grand Prix.