Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton has shouldered responsibility for the clash involving him and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri during the Italian Grand Prix.
The 38-year-old has openly acknowledged his role in the incident and has extended his apologies to the young Australian driver.
Lewis Hamilton strategically positioned himself to make a move at the Variante della Roggia chicane, setting up his manoeuvre with a clever switchback at the Rettifilo chicane early in the lap.
Exiting the Curva Grande, Hamilton achieved a more advantageous drive, securing the coveted inside line as they approached the crucial Variante della Roggia corner complex.
However, rather than maintaining a central position on the track, the seven-time world champion deviated to the right, placing pressure on Oscar Piastri and edging him closer to the circuit wall. This tactical manoeuvre resulted in contact between the two drivers.
Hamilton received a five-second time penalty as a consequence of the incident. However, it’s worth noting that this penalty had no impact on his ultimate finishing position.
When interviewed by Sky Sports F1 reporters regarding his race and the incident in question, Hamilton remarked: “I think every position we are getting in these races is seeming to be incredibly hard and fought for.
“Starting on the hard tyre today, it was nice to be offset but it was difficult at the beginning. I enjoyed the battle I had at the end.
“It was a bit unfortunate and I misjudged the gap I had with Piastri right at the end. It was totally my fault and I went and apologised to him straight afterwards and we move on.”
In his challenging Formula 1 debut at Monza, Oscar Piastri encountered three major incidents, including his collision with Lewis Hamilton.
He later received a time penalty following another incident with AlphaTauri’s Liam Lawson. Speaking after the race, the Aussie driver stated:
“The incident with Lewis, he probably just creeped over a bit more than he thought. The stewards gave out their verdict and he has apologised so there is nothing more I can ask for or do at that point.
“The one with Liam Lawson, I was having V terrible afternoon by that point and was quicker so tried to go around the outside a couple of times and it is what it is.”
