Alonso declares Max and Lewis’ crash as no ‘big deal’

Michelle Foster
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash. Italy September 2021.

Max Verstappen's Red Bull RB16B is launched over Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W12, both cars into the gravel. Italy September 2021.

Fernando Alonso feels Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s Monza crash was not a “big deal”, rather it was “unfortunately” a racing incident.

Verstappen and Hamilton had their second big crash of this season at the Italian Grand Prix as the title rivals fought over third place behind the two McLarens.

With neither having the afternoon they had wanted, Verstappen nor Hamilton were willing to back down as they went wheel-to-wheel through the Rettifilo chicane.

Running out of road, Verstappen bounced over the kerbs and bounced on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes with both crashing out of the grand prix.

Verstappen was deemed to be at fault, handed a three-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix.

Alonso, though, feels it was a racing incident and not a big deal like their British GP clash.

Speaking to the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com, he said: “Well they are there, the two champions, and they are always fighting to the limit.

“It looks like an unfortunate position, with the corner and the kerb the car jumps a little, and then they touch. Tyre with tyre, and the rubber makes a car fly.

“But it is low speed, you know, they go at 30 or 40 km/h, there is no danger, there is nothing.

“So I don’t think it was a big deal.

“At Silverstone it probably was, but this one it was just a racing incident.

“I think Lewis tried to open up at Turn 1 to force Max to cut the corner. Max did not cut the corner, he stayed on the outside, but then it was not possible to do Turn 2 on the inside.

“I think they both … they both did what they had to do.

“You know, and unfortunately, they touched, because… I saw the replay of the start too, and Giovinazzi and Leclerc, they touched, in the same way, and Stroll and Perez touched each other in the same way in turn 1 and 2.

“But they did not touch wheel to wheel, but tyre to tyre. So the same did not happen. But it is a very typical manoeuvre [in] Turn 1, Turn 2, and they have been unlucky [to] touch wheel to wheel.”

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Hamilton was lucky to walk away from the crash without injury, Halo saving his head and neck from what would have been a huge impact.

Alonso has himself been involved in a crash when one crash goes over the top of the other, the Spaniard one of five drivers caught out in the opening lap crash at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.

Romain Grosjean was subsequently banned for causing that collision.

“I think it is very different,” Alonso said. “Romain and Lewis were out of control then. They touched and bowled in the first corner of Spa. I was there, but anyone could be there. So today has been different.

“They were just racing and, like I said, in Turn 1 and 2 there are at least four or five cases that are very similar to what happened to them. Only separated by millimeters if they hit the ground, hit the front wing or hit the tyre.

“But what they did is nothing too different compared to the five or six incidents we saw at the start. ”

 

PlanetF1 verdict

 

Did Max Verstappen deserve his penalty or racing incident?

Did Max Verstappen deserve a penalty for his crash with Lewis Hamilton?