Hamilton and Verstappen Avoid Penalties After Monza Practice Incident
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will both keep their slates clean after a fiery wheel-to-wheel moment in final practice for the Italian Grand Prix, with FIA stewards deciding no further action was necessary.
The flashpoint came at the end of FP3 at Monza, just as the field prepared for their final qualifying simulations. Hamilton appeared to jump ahead of Verstappen in the queue exiting the pit lane, and the simmering tension instantly spilled onto the pit straight.
Side by side, flat out, in what was supposed to be a build-up lap.
Verstappen, seemingly unfazed in the cockpit, even flashed Hamilton a thumbs up as they thundered towards the Rettifilo chicane. Then he pounced. The Red Bull dived late and hard down the inside into Turn 1, forcing Hamilton to jink across the run-off as the Ferrari ran out of room.
Neither driver completed what should have been their final flying lap. Both backed out. Both pointed the finger.
“He caused that,” Verstappen snapped over Red Bull team radio.
Hamilton, now in Ferrari red, gave his version to the Scuderia pit wall: “I got blocked by Max, so…”
His race engineer Carlo Santi quickly replied: “Yes, we saw.”
The stewards saw it too, reviewed the incident, and chose not to issue any penalties or reprimands. For all the drama, the record books will show nothing more than a scruffy end to practice between two men whose rivalry rarely sits at idle.
It wasn’t Verstappen’s only flash of irritation in the session. Earlier, he had complained about traffic in classic Monza fashion, where out-laps and tow games often turn the track into a rolling roadblock.
With Sergio Perez’s Cadillac running wide at Lesmo 1 and spraying gravel across the racing line, Verstappen and a Ferrari behind had to pick their way through the mess. The Dutchman vented on the radio: “This **** Ferrari again! My God! Always in the way!”
The stewards also looked at another FP3 tangle, this time involving George Russell and Oscar Piastri. The McLaren driver arrived at Lesmo 1 on a push lap only to find a slow-moving Russell parked on the apex, forced to slam on the brakes and abandon his effort. After review, the officials again opted for no further action.
On the stopwatch, though, Russell had the final word. The Mercedes driver topped the session with a 1:22.219, laying down a clear marker ahead of qualifying.
Hamilton slotted into second, 0.226 seconds adrift of his former team-mate, with Verstappen 0.350s off Russell in third. The three drivers most involved in the morning’s talking points ended up grouped at the top of the timesheets.
No penalties. No grid drops. Just a reminder that, even in practice, Hamilton and Verstappen only need the slightest spark to light up a weekend – and Monza rarely stays quiet for long.
