F1 Italian GP: Ricciardo wins for McLaren after Verstappen/Hamilton collision
Ricciardo took the lead from Verstappen with a great start and led every lap on his way to ℱscoring a famous win for McLaren, heading home a 1-2 for the team ahead of Lando Norris.
It en🍰ds a nine-year winning drouﷺght for McLaren, with the British outfit’s previous victory coming at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Ricciardo had dominated the opening stint of the race to stay ahead of Verstappen but the Australian’s route to an eighth career victory was cleared when Ver🐟stappen and Hamilton came to blows at Turn 1 in a dramatic incident.
Polesitter Verstappen had dropped down the 🎀order following an awful pit stop and was trying to pass Hamilton as the seven-time world champion emerged from the pits following his own stop.
Verstappen attempted to go around the outside but the pair collided at the exit and both cars ended up beached in the gravel, with Verstappen’s Red Bull lan🎃ding on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes.
It came after a clash on the opening lap when Verstappen had forced Hamilton to run wide at theඣ della Roggia chicane as the pair battled it out for second place, with Hamilton dropping back behin𒈔d Norris to fourth.
The Monza clash marks the second time this season Verstappen and Hamilton have collided, following their controversial crash at the British Grand Prix in✨ July.
Ricciardo aced the restart following a lengthy safety car period, while teammate Norris jumped Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to move into second, securing McLaren’s first 1-2 finis🔯h since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.
“For anyone who thought I left, I never left," Ricciard🍎o exclaimed over team radio after crossing the line.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas turned in a stunning recovery drive from the back of the grid to complete the podium in third after Sergio Perez, who finished third𒊎 on the road, was demoted to fourth with a t🌠ime penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage when he passed Leclerc.
Leclerc subsequently🔴 took fourth ahead of the penalised Perez, ಞwhile Carlos Sainz finished sixth in the second Ferrari.
Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, George Russell an♛d Esteban Ocon completed the rest of the top 10.
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