Top Formula 1 contenders Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, crash during Italian Grand Prix

Two Formula 1 championship contenders canceled each other out Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, an eight-time F1 champion, tangled on a turn on lap 26 of 53 as Hamilton exited pit row. Hamilton was on the inside and drifted into Verstappen as both tried to snake through the course.

“That’s what you get when you don’t leave the space,” Verstappen said in the immediate aftermath.

Yet it was Verstappen who F1 race stewards placed the blame upon. For causing the crash, he was given a three-grip penalty at the upcoming Russian Grand Prix (Sept. 26). 

Verstappen’s back right tire went over Hamilton’s car as both vehicles stopped in the gravel off the right side of the roadway. The race stewards reviewed the incident after the race.

Daniel Ricciardo won for the first time since 2018. Lamont Marcel Jacobs, the Italian Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter men’s dash, waved the checkered flag.

Verstappen and Hamilton are the top two in the Formula 1 standings, respectively, with 10 podiums apiece. Verstappen entered Sunday with a three-point lead over Hamilton. 

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.