Revealed: Why Max Verstappen called for Lewis Hamilton penalty at Italian GP

Max Verstappen racing Lewis Hamilton on Lap 1 at Monza

Max Verstappen took to team radio to call for Lewis Hamilton to be penalised for what was the first of his two incidents with Mercedes drivers on Lap 1 at Monza.

Verstappen lined up seventh for the Italian Grand Prix, behind Lewis Hamilton while George Russell in the other Mercedes was in third place on the grid.

Max Verstappen: Lewis didn’t leave a car’s width

Verstappen challenged Hamilton for position through the Curva Grande only for the Mercedes driver to move slightly to the right as they approached the Roggia chicane.

Hamilton to Mercedes: “I’ve been hit by Max. Right rear!”

Verstappen countered that: “Lewis didn’t leave a car’s width. I mean, I got a penalty for that.”

Race Control did not even note the incident, never mind referring it to the stewards to decide if a penalty was warranted.

But that wasn’t Verstappen’s only Lap 1 moment with a Mercedes driver as the reigning World Champion also had slight contact with Russell, who lost places into Turn 1 and dropped back to the Hamilton/Verstappen tussle.

Rejoining the track having taken a trip around the bollards at the Turn 1/2 chicane when he came up short as he battled the McLaren team-mates for the lead off the line, Russell rejoined as Hamilton and Verstappen came passed.

Into the path of Verstappen, the Red Bull driver tagged Russell’s endplate with the latter asking Mercedes to check it for damage.

He told Mercedes that he thought the front wing was “off” while Verstappen asked Red Bull to “check my left-rear tyre cause I touched a little bit”.

The important numbers after the Italian Grand Prix

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The updated Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings after the Italian Grand Prix

Verstappen later highlighted his lap 1 battles with the Mercedes drivers, telling the media including PlanetF1.com: “Probably Lap one. You know, you’re focusing on the cars ahead, not looking in the mirrors as well. That’s my only explanation.”

The Red Bull driver brought his RB20 home in sixth place at Monza where he lost ground to Lando Norris in the championship fight, his advantage down to 62 points.

“I think also strategy wise, we could have done a better job to be at least a little bit more competitive in the fight or whatever,” he said.

“It wouldn’t have changed the position. But, yeah, I think we didn’t do our optimal race starting on the north. No, I think it’s just how we then approach the rest of the race.”

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