Straf til Verstappen

Som vanligt, fristes man til at sige, var der drama, da Max Verstappen og Lewis Hamilton raspede dæk, denne gang under Italiens Grand Prix på Monza.

Hændelsen skete på 26. omgang, hvor Hamilton kørte ud på banen, hvor han forsøgte at holde inderste spor i den første chikane, men på ydersiden ankom en flyvende hollænder, som forsøgte at passere verdensmesteren på dennes venstre siden for dermed at beholde apex i chikanens anden del.

Men positionen tvang Verstappen til at køre bredt, hvilket sendte Red Bull-raceren over en af de høje, gule curbs, der katapulterede ham over den konkurrerende Mercedes i en spektakulær overflyvning, der sluttede på fronten af Hamiltons bil.

I interviews efter løbet fastholdt Verstappen, at Hamilton ikke gav ham tilstrækkelig plads, men det var løbets stewards ikke helt enige i og gav Red Bull-køreren den "overvejende" skyld for ulykken.

Således tildeles Verstappen derfor 3 pladsers gridstraf til næste løb, der afholdes i Sochi, Rusland.

Her er den fulde ordlyd af stewards kendelse:

“Car 44 was exiting the pits. Car 33 was on the main straight. At the 50m board before Turn 1, Car 44 was significantly ahead of Car 33.

Max Verstappen forsøger en overflyvning på Lewis Hamilton. Italiens GP 2021
Copyright Mercedes AMG F1 - LAT Images

“Car 33 braked late and started to move alongside Car 44, although at no point in the sequence does Car 33 get any further forward than just behind the front wheel of Car 44.

“During the hearing the driver of Car 33 asserted that the cause of the incident was the driver of Car 44 opening the steering after Turn 1 and “squeezing” him to the apex of turn 2.

“The driver of Car 44 asserted that the driver of Car 33 attempted to pass very late and should have given up the corner either by backing off sooner, or by turning left behind the kerb.

“The Stewards observed on CCTV footage that the driver of Car 44 was driving an avoiding line, although his position caused Car 33 to go onto the kerb. But further, the Stewards observed that Car 33 was not at all alongside Car 44 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.

“In coming to the penalty the Stewards emphasise that they have only considered the incident itself and not the consequences thereof.”

Verstappen modtog 2 klip i sin Superlicens, hvilket er første gang i et år.

Som svar på afgørelsen sagde Verstappen: ”Jeg er ikke helt enig i straffen, da jeg mener, at det var en 'racing incident'. Det er meget ærgerligt, hvad der skete i dag, men vi er begge professionelle, så vil vi komme videre."