Two Mercedes collisions behind Verstappen’s Hamilton penalty call in...

Two Mercedes collisions behind Verstappen’s Hamilton penalty call in…read more.

The 2024 Italian Grand Prix began with a flurry of action that led to separate incidents involving Max Verstappen and the two Mercedes drivers, ultimately explaining Verstappen’s call for a penalty against Lewis Hamilton.

Starting seventh on the grid, Verstappen found himself behind the Mercedes duo, with George Russell occupying third place in the lead W15. Russell was in a strong position to challenge the McLarens early on, as well as the eventual race winner, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

However, Russell’s race took an early turn when he misjudged Oscar Piastri’s braking point at the first corner. This forced him to lock up and take the escape road. As he rejoined the race, Russell found himself battling alongside Hamilton and Verstappen, who were powering through the Curva Grande after Hamilton had a brief collision with Carlos Sainz during the run to Turn 1.

As Russell rejoined the track, onboard footage revealed that Verstappen was making a move on Hamilton, managing to get his nose alongside the Mercedes’ right-rear wheel during the braking phase. As they approached the della Roggia chicane, Hamilton drifted slightly to the right, squeezing Verstappen on the outside line. The two made light contact as they turned in, leading to complaints from both drivers over the radio.

Hamilton was quick to report the incident, saying, “I’ve been hit, by Max… right-rear.” Verstappen, on the other hand, argued that Hamilton had not left him enough space, stating, “Lewis didn’t leave a car’s width,” and later added, “I got a penalty for that, so…” referencing a similar incident from a previous race where he had been penalized.

Verstappen’s brief loss of momentum allowed Russell to recover and gain an advantage. As the drivers navigated through the second apex, Russell’s front wheels reached the level of Verstappen’s rear wheels. However, the situation quickly escalated when Verstappen’s left-rear tire made contact with Russell’s right-side endplate, causing damage to Russell’s front wing.

Initially, Russell believed that Oscar Piastri had caused the incident, stating over the radio, “Piastri just came across me in the braking zone,” before asking his team to check the damage. As the first lap came to an end, he added, “I think the front wing is off.”

Despite the collision, Verstappen was able to continue after Red Bull confirmed that his left-rear tire had sustained no serious damage. Hamilton also managed to avoid any significant issues. However, Russell was not as fortunate. The damage to his car caused a significant loss of performance during the opening stint. He was overtaken by Verstappen and later by Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull before pitting to replace his front wing.

Russell’s early pit stop led to a lengthy stint that compromised his race strategy. Although he managed to recover and finish ahead of Perez, he ultimately finished 1.8 seconds behind Verstappen. Hamilton, who had completed a two-stop strategy like the rest of the top drivers, finished 15.1 seconds ahead of the Dutchman, with both McLaren cars finishing further ahead.

When asked about Hamilton’s driving after the race, Verstappen offered a measured response, saying, “Probably lap one, you’re focusing on the cars ahead, not looking in the mirrors as well.” Verstappen seemed to imply that Hamilton’s focus was on the cars in front rather than defending against an attack from behind.

The incident was not broadcast during the live coverage, as the focus at the time was on the intra-McLaren battle ahead, as well as several other collisions in the opening laps, including one involving Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and both Red Bull cars.

Reflecting on the race, Mercedes’ director of trackside engineering, Andrew Shovlin, acknowledged the impact of the early collision on Russell’s race. He noted that the damage sustained in the clash with Verstappen led to an “early and long stop,” which ultimately cost Russell valuable time. Shovlin suggested that Mercedes could have potentially gained a position on Verstappen had they been able to commit to a one-stop strategy, but the damage from the first lap incident proved to be a bigger issue.

In the end, the race was a challenging one for both Mercedes drivers, with collisions on the opening lap playing a significant role in shaping the final outcome at Monza.