This was basically a reverse copycat of what happened at the start. At the start, Lewis decided to cut the chicane to avoid contact. Here, Max decided to go for the crash...
The last time a driver deliberately hit someone else was when Schumacher did it to Villeneuve.
Overtaking opportunities are rare at Monza, so if you see one, you have to go for it.
It was a racing incident, that's how it should have been judged as. Hamilton isn't to blame for this one, but going into the corner, there was a gap which Verstappen was entitled to go for. When Hamilton then took the racing line, it was too late for Max to back off. Yes he could have gone off the track and let him through, as Bottas probably would. But he's not Bottas and he's not 100 points behind in the Championship. However, the allegation that it was points related or a cynical foul is as outrageous as when Schumacher made his allegation against Coulthard at Spa. Verstappen is the reason why there is a championship to watch this year, and his driving style is why he has his own fan club at every race. That's what the public want to see, racing as opposed to driving. The fact that Hill ststed6 it happened by the points in the Championship is astonishing, considering how many times him and Schumacher collided, most notably at Adelaide and Silverstone. None of those incidents were punished, this shouldn't have been either.
Hamilton was caught asleep at the wheel at the start of the sprint, and what should have been a straight forward hop from lights to flag turned into 0 points from the weekend. There's only really 2 overtaking spots at Monza, in the first two chicanes, but Gasly finally discovered a use for all that gravel at Curva Grande. With most drivers then happy to settle for the position they had, I think more points should be awarded for the sprint. Using the old points system for the first 6 drivers, with 10 points for the winner and 1 for 6th, rewards more drivers, encourages more overtaking, and doesn't devalue the usual points awarded for the Grand Prix.
The tow is just as powerful at Sochi as at Monza, so Verstappen can wipe out the grid penalty on the run down to the first chicane on lap 1, if he starts as high as possible on the grid.
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