Dutch press sees painful situation for Verstappen: 'Walking alone'

The Italian Grand Prix will remain known for years to come as the race in which Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen drove each other off the track. The incident was also the talk of the day in the Dutch sports media.

The Algemeen Dagblad draws a comparison with a well-known game. "It was an image with eternal value. A scene the world will think back to twenty years from now when the fiercely fought championship of 2021 will be discussed. Max Verstappen with his car angled on top of rival Lewis Hamilton's black car. Like the two last sticks after a spirited game of Jenga."

De Telegraaf sees the incident as confirmation that the battle between the two drivers has fully erupted. "The title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton is becoming more immersive and intense by the week. In Monza, it came to a second crash this season. This time the Dutchman was blamed. It is clear that both drivers do not give each other an inch anymore."

According to De Volkskrant, the accident in Monza is not an isolated case. "The clash was the sequel to the collision between Verstappen and Hamilton at the GP of Great Britain, two months ago. There Hamilton hit Verstappen during an overtaking attempt, after which the Dutchman crashed hard and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Hamilton was able to continue the race and eventually won."

Het Parool found it painful to see that Verstappen had to walk a long way from his car to his team. "They had to walk back to the pits. According to Verstappen, Hamilton had not given him any room; on the contrary, the Briton thought the Red Bull driver had made a mistake."

The contrast with a week ago could not be greater, according to NRC. "It was a long, lonely walk for Max Verstappen, once he stepped out of his wreck. Motherless alone, a minutes-long walk along the half-empty grandstands of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, back to the base of his team, Red Bull. The contrast with the orange party in Zandvoort, a week earlier, could not be greater."