Despite Daniel Ricciardo 's handsome victory, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were the main focus of the Italian Grand Prix last weekend. The drivers met on the opening lap, both had an inferior pit stop and went off the track together. They ended up empty handed, although the sprint race did earn Verstappen two points.

Verstappen started the race at the front in Monza due to Valtteri Bottas ' grid penalty, but had to relinquish his place to Daniel Ricciardo at the very first corner. "Max's start definitely didn't look good. He was just 0.2 seconds too late, which made Ricciardo smell blood and pass him," judged Tim Coronel in an interview with GPblog. "They both knew that the start would be decisive and Ricciardo simply had a better start than Verstappen. Then as a driver you feel it's your chance and you make sure you're in front of him before the first corner."

Battle between Hamilton and Verstappen

However, when the Dutchman went in to change his tyres at the halfway point of the race, he faced another disappointment. It took his team more than eleven seconds to let Verstappen back onto the track. "Something really went wrong with the communication. You could tell from Max that he was pretty frustrated about the moment, because he said on the board radio that he didn't want to talk to his team anymore. As a driver, however, you have to let go of such an incident quickly, because there are still plenty of laps to perform."

Then the incident between Verstappen and Hamilton ensued which meant the end of the race for both drivers. The leader in the world championship came on with warm tyres, while Hamilton had just come out of the pit lane. "Max really couldn't go any further there because he was already there. He would then have enough speed at the next corner to pass, but Hamilton didn't give him any room and then it went wrong. I really see this as a racing incident, so it's a shame Verstappen was penalised for it. The heat is on with the gentlemen."

Ricciardo's win

The incident between Verstappen and Hamilton gave McLaren the opportunity to reach the first two podiums for the first time since 2010. Where Ricciardo finished in first place, Lando Norris came right behind. According to Coronel, the victory does not stand alone. "Ricciardo was certainly not good at the beginning of the year with his performance, but the last two races he is always on the right side of the line. He's finally got the car and is showing where it stands with McLaren."