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Max Verstappen remains firmly against the five-second penalty he received which cost him a podium finish at Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman had been in a race-long battle with Valtteri Bottas, after getting ahead at the start, and had a done a superb job of keeping the more powerful Mercedes at bay.

After the Finn had been forced onto a longer strategy to help Lewis Hamilton, however, it meant he could attack the Red Bull on fresher tyres in the closing stages with the pair making contact as Bottas pulled alongside approaching the first chicane.

"We were in a position where we didn’t expect to be. I think we gave him a car width, he clipped my wheel and he had to go straight. I don’t agree with it," said Verstappen.

"But maybe they took the penalty because earlier in the race when he first tried to tag me I went a bit wide but even then I think it’s not fair because they give it straight away."

The 20-year-old was referring to a close call earlier in the race when Bottas locked up going up the inside into the same chicane with Max having to take the shortcut.

Regardless, furious by the decision, Verstappen continued to fight until the checkered flag keeping the Mercedes behind but in doing so, lost time to Sebastian Vettel meaning when the five seconds were added on, he fell behind the Ferrari.

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On Monday, talking to Holland's Ziggo Sport, his view on the battle hadn't changed even after some time to reflect.

"I still don’t agree with the decision," he told their 'Peptalk' program. "Obviously I’ve seen the footage. I just defended. Of course, you try to make the space as small as possible so your turn-in to the corner is not compromised.

"We hit each other and maybe I could’ve given him a few millimetres more space, but he was on the white line.

"In hindsight, it’s easy to say ‘I should’ve done this or that’, but when you arrive at a corner doing 340kp/h, it makes for a whole different decision-making situation than when reviewing it on the video footage."

Naturally, Bottas had an alternative view, adding: "There's a very clear rule that says you need to leave a car's width on the outside but he didn't, so we touched.

"If a car is there you need to leave room for that car and he didn’t, that’s why we touched because he moved and it was a very clear move.”

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Ferrari have been put in a dilemma regarding their 2019 line-up in the wake of former chairman Sergio Marchionne's death it has been reported.

While his replacement Louis Camilleri has suggested the Scuderia now wants to retain Kimi Raikkonen for another year, Auto Motor und Sport has claimed Marchionne had already signed a deal with Charles Leclerc before passing away in July.

Though it would seem simple enough just to tell the current Sauber driver to wait for another year, Ferrari are concerned that going back on the contract could cause a problem with his manager Nicolas Todt, son of FIA president Jean.

The uncertainty is somewhat proven by the team not confirming their line-up this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix in front of their adoring Tifosi and asked about Raikkonen's future, Camilleri remained coy.

"We have not taken a decision yet," he said in his first press conference in his new role as CEO at Monza on Friday. "When we take that decision, and there is no timeframe, you will be the second to know.

"I know Kimi very well, he is a dear friend and has been for a long time," he added. "As for the decision-making process, it is a team decision.

"Maurizio [Arrivabene], who is team principal, will ultimately take the decision but he and I will discuss it, and once we are ready we will take it."

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Raikkonen did his chances of staying on for another year plenty of good by claiming his first pole position of the season in qualifying on Saturday and speaking earlier in the weekend, insisted he still feels more than capable of performing.

"I don’t feel like I drive any differently than 10 years ago," he said. "I think I drive pretty well in my own books at least. That’s enough for me. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could drive as well as I feel I should.

"That’s my tool to measure and decide when it’s enough. Who knows? Maybe I’ll wake up one morning and I don’t know how to go fast anymore."

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Lewis Hamilton has responded to the hostile atmosphere he received from the Ferrari Tifosi at the Italian Grand Prix, insisting it only made him stronger.

As you'd expect when fighting against the Scuderia at Monza, the Briton was welcomed by a chorus of boos both after qualifying and on the podium, after beating Kimi Raikkonen to victory.

While such a reception is not typically expected in Formula 1, given the unique circumstances, the world champion wasn't too bothered by the whole situation.

“There was a lot of negativity, as there is when you’re against an opposing team,” Hamilton said.

“But I could see so many British flags out there, they know who they are and they inspired me so much for this race. That is what I was driving for.

"In future, the negative thing is only a positive thing for me because I harness it and turn it from a negative to a positive."

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Despite the booing, the now five-time Monza winner took time to celebrate with the fans, including a little crowd-surfing and tried to adhere himself to those that had flocked to the 'Temple of Speed'.

"Firstly, I want to give it up to Ferrari, who put up a great challenge this weekend," he said. "They really did an amazing job and they have given us such a great fight.

“Secondly I just wanna say thank you to the [Mercedes] guys and everyone back home. Without their support, without their continued efforts, this wouldn’t be possible today."

One former Ferrari figure that didn't appreciate the actions of the Tifosi though was former chairman Luca di Montezemolo.

"Lewis is a fantastic champion, has always been very correct, and he made a fantastic race. Full stop," the Italian told the BBC. "What happened was very, very bad and I am really upset."

The 71-year-old conceded he thought the manner of Hamilton's win, after using Valtteri Bottas as a block, had contributed to the Ferrari fans anger.

"I can tell you we won a few championships [this way] when I was the chairman and CEO - with Kimi and Felipe Massa, with Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher, with Michael and Eddie Irvine," he said.

"So this is part of the history and Bottas did not make anything incorrect or a foul. He made his race.

"When I have heard somebody make criticism… This is normal. In life, it is difficult to win, but it is more difficult to accept when you don't win. So, yesterday I was not happy for what I have seen, from the public.

"Mercedes made its job. If I was in charge of Ferrari in the same condition as Mercedes, I would make exactly the same choice. So, finito."

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Max Verstappen was still less than impressed with Renault after running their new 'C-spec' engine for the first time on Saturday at Monza.

With teammate Daniel Ricciardo switching to the new unit on Friday, Red Bull decided the performance was such that it was worth installing in the Dutchman's car, meaning he has now reached his full allocation for the season.

Yet despite predictions from Renault the new engine would be worth three-tenths of a second, Verstappen still ended qualifying almost 1.5 seconds off the pace in fifth.

“It’s a little bit faster than the old one, so in that way it is positive, but it’s of course still not enough,” the 20-year-old commented.

“Maybe in Q3 it [the gap to the front] was a little bit bigger than in Q2, but in Q3 I was also the first one out in my final run when I did my fastest lap.

“They were all towing each other, so that’s another three, four tenths on this track.

“It could have been a little bit better. It’s still over a second off, but that’s also what we are missing from the engine.”

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Ricciardo meanwhile limited his running to a single lap in Q1, as he was already set to start from the back, and perhaps knowing he will still be racing with Renault next season, was more upbeat about its potential.

“I felt like we had a bit more in it, especially as I only did one lap in quali,” he claimed.

“I believe it still wasn’t optimised on that one lap, but it feels like the torque curve keeps going a bit [and it] kind of pulls a bit harder or longer on lots of corners, so it seemed encouraging.”

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Lewis Hamilton has rebuffed Sebastian Vettel's claim that he didn't leave enough space for the German which resulted in their Lap 1 contact during the Italian GP.

After following teammate Kimi Raikkonen through the first chicane at the start, Vettel would again take a conservative line into the second allowing the Mercedes driver to sweep around the outside.

Rather than give up the corner and attack later, the Ferrari driver kept his nose up the inside, resulting in contact which spun him around and dropped him to the back of the field after pitting for repairs.

Though he would recover back through the field to claim fourth, Vettel was still livid with his main championship rival despite the stewards deciding it was a racing incident.

"He didn't leave me any space," he declared afterwards. "I had no other choice but to run into him and make contact. I tried obviously to get out from there, but I couldn't.

"Unfortunately I was the one that spun around, a bit ironic, but then I was looking the wrong way and things weren't looking too peachy."

Hamilton wasn't having any of Sebastian's comments, however, as he gave his side of the story.

“I think we all got to similar starts, I got wheelspin and went to Turn 1, I was surprised that Seb went to the left," he explained.

"We got to Turn 1 and there was a small touch between us all, then. powering down to Turn 4, I was again a bit surprised Seb chose the inside and not going to the outside of Kimi.

"That was my opportunity. I stuck it down the outside and made sure I was far enough alongside. I had the experience a few years ago of being on the inside, and it didn’t come off too well!

“I think there was enough space between us," he insisted. "I am guessing he locked up. We touched, it was a brief moment."

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The current championship leader found an unlikely ally to his argument in former teammate Nico Rosberg who lambasted Vettel for his continued mistakes.

"Lewis has no fault, because he leaves plenty of space," he told Sky Sports. "There is nothing you can blame him for.

"Sebastian runs too wide, gets into Lewis and spins out. That was the end of it, 110% Sebastian’s fault."

The gap between the two drivers is now 30-points heading to the Singapore Grand Prix and the 2016 champion believes as of right now there can only be one winner.

"You cannot beat Lewis Hamilton to a championship by making so many mistakes, that’s a fact," he said.

"So he’s got to sort that out, otherwise it’s not going to happen. Lewis is the benchmark out there. Surely he’s at the peak of his career, and it’s all going his way."

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Kevin Magnussen has responded to Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard slammed the Dane for their incident during qualifying for the Italian GP.

The pair came to blows at the first chicane at the start of their final flying laps in Q2, with the McLaren driver suggesting they met in the middle as Magnussen opted to overtake a number of slow-moving cars entering Parabolica rather than create his own gap.

Unsurprisingly, the current Haas driver had a different view and pulled no punches in giving his opinion.

“I can’t wait for Alonso to retire, he thinks he’s a god,” Magnussen said. “He overtook me into Turn 1 and ruined both of our laps.

“I think we could have got P7, the best of the rest, so that is pretty annoying.”

The stewards later deemed it all a racing incident because their battle into the first corner "did not specifically constitute unnecessary impeding by either driver, notwithstanding the fact that both drivers lost their lap".

Both McLaren and Haas team bosses were seen in a heated conversation in the pit-lane after the incident and after a series of run-ins between the two teams this season, don't be surprised if this has a few more lines to cross yet.

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Lewis Hamilton produced a perfect performance to overcome Kimi Raikkonen and dash Ferrari's hopes of a home win at the Italian GP.

The Briton survived contact with Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap before using a tyre advantage in the final 10 laps to pass the 2007 world champion in a race-long duel between the pair.

At the start, it was Raikkonen who led into the first chicane, holding off a challenge from Vettel and Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver then looked to attack his championship rival in the second chicane around the outside but, refusing to back down, the German would make contact causing him to spin and damaging his Ferrari.

A safety car would be called following contact between Brendon Hartley, Stoffel Vandoorne and Marcus Ericsson on the run to the first corner, leaving the Toro Rosso out of the race and debris along the main straight.

Vettel pitted for a new front wing and Soft compound tyres, as he attempted to go to the end of the race on a single set of tyres after falling to the back

At the restart, Raikkonen misjudged where to pick up the pace and allowed Hamilton to get a great slipstream and make a move for the lead into the first chicane.

The Finn would hit right back though, sweeping past the Mercedes into the Roggia chicane.

Further back, Romain Grosjean ran across the second chicane giving Sergio Perez a look into the Lesmo bends with the pair touching and sending the Haas wide.

That, along with the opening lap collision between Hamilton & Vettel, was deemed a racing incident by the stewards.  

As the race settled, Vettel began the long climb back through the field, shadowing Daniel Ricciardo, who had started 19th, before nailing the Red Bull into the first chicane.

A number of other moves on the midfield drivers followed and saw him back inside the points before tyre wear would become a major problem as he suffered from blisters on his left-rear.

The pit-stop phase began with both Mercedes and Ferrari crews entering the pit-lane with Raikkonen pitting from the lead, but, doing the opposite, Hamilton would stay out as he hoped to have better pace on his used tyres.

Ricciardo's race would end in a smokey retirement, later blamed on a clutch problem, and briefly raising the prospect of a second safety car or VSC which could have turned the race in the world champion's favour but the marshals were able to clear safely.

Mercedes had another ace up their sleeve though as a fast-lapping Raikkonen caught Valtteri Bottas, who was battling Max Verstappen, with the Finn told to hold up the Ferrari on his fresher tyres.

Hamilton would pit eight laps later than Kimi, falling a few seconds behind in the process, but quickly closed right up on the Ferrari which was still stuck behind the sister car.

At the same time, Vettel was forced to pit for a second time for Supersoft tyres, dropping him down the order once again.

After Bottas pitted, Raikkonen continued to stay ahead as he had just enough ground exiting Parabolica to keep Hamilton at bay into the first chicane but he too would suffer severe blistering on the Soft tyres like his teammate.

Finally, the race-defining moment came as Hamilton stayed close enough out of Parabolica to use DRS and pass Raikkonen around the outside into the first chicane for the lead, quickly pulling away from the Ferrari.

After losing time playing the team game, Bottas set about re-catching Verstappen for the final podium place.

In the wake of several near-misses to make a pass into the first chicane, the pair would make contact with the Dutchman picking up a five-second penalty for moving across the track and causing the collision.

That was because Raikkonen's tyres had become critical with vibrations as the 2007 world champion rapidly lost pace.

Irate over his penalty, Verstappen continued to fight Bottas and would stay ahead to finish third on the road but would drop back to fifth.

That's because Vettel used his Supersoft tyres to move back into fifth and close to within five seconds to move up to fourth, limiting the damage.

In the midfield, Romain Grosjean held off the two Force Indias to claim sixth as Esteban Ocon led teammate Perez with all three covered by 2.3 seconds.

A post-race protest by Renault would see the Haas excluded, however, for breaching the regulations around the design of the floor, promoting Ocon and Perez to the 'best of the rest' places.

Carlos Sainz would move upto eighth for the French manufacturer with the two Williams' of Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin completing the top 10.

The Russian's first point of the season also means for the first time in F1 history every driver has now scored at least score a single point.

A look at the final results can be seen below with Fernando Alonso the third of three retirements with a mechanical problem.

At the front though, Lewis Hamilton was ecstatic to claim a record-equalling fifth win at Monza and extended his championship lead to 30 points over Sebastian Vettel heading to the night race in Singapore on September 16th.

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Pierre Gasly once again hailed the progress of Honda after making it into Q3 and an eventual ninth-place finish in qualifying at the Italian GP.

In a highly competitive midfield, which saw several names unexpectedly exit early while others shined, the Frenchman was again one of the latter as he continued his strong form from Spa where he would also finish ninth.

While that result is a little less shocking given the middle sector in Belgium, to replicate it on the straights of Monza does bring more pride to the Toro Rosso team and their engine supplier.

“Before qualifying, we thought it would be difficult to get through to Q2, and finally we made it through Q3 and qualified P9,” Gasly said. “It was just so much better than what we expected.

“It was probably one of my best laps of the season so to do it in Italy for the home race of the team is an even better feeling.

“I don’t know which results Honda has at Monza over the last four years, but clearly this is showing after Spa, we had a good surprise, we managed to score points in a really power sensitive track.”

With Pierre switching to Red Bull next season along with Honda, the former GP2 champion is only excited by the Japanese manufacturer's potential.

“We had a really good surprise, but it shows we are going in the right direction,” he said. “I think they can be really happy and motivate them to bring us even more, but clearly, if you look at the last few years, they are clearly improving. That’s really positive.”

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Force India has confirmed Lance Stroll underwent a seat-fitting at their Silverstone factory this week but only ahead of his 2019 move.

While unofficial, it is well-known the Canadian will be switching to the team his father bought during the summer break next year, with Esteban Ocon inadvertently revealing such last weekend in Belgium.

What is still uncertain is whether that move will come before the end of this season with speculation it is possible either in Singapore or a week later in Sochi.

Even so technical director Andrew Green insisted the seat-fitting was not an indication of an immediate switch but rather a look ahead to the future.

"What we wanted to do was make sure that there was nothing that we needed to change on next year’s car, subtly for him," he explained. "There were a few things we need to change, which we caught just in time."

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With Force India having to start from zero again with all their points stripped following a new entry under the new ownership, team boss Otmar Szafnauer has suggested the time may not be right to promote Stroll this year.

"As we sit here today, we’re keeping the same two drivers probably for the rest of the year, but you never know what tomorrow brings," he said.

"I would imagine that Lance has a contract with Williams, and I imagine that the CRB [Contract Recognition Board] has that contract. So the first step is to be released and that assumes that we want him to be released as well.

"There’s a lot of stuff. We’ve done the seat fitting, we’re in control of that. The rest of the stuff is legal stuff, but if two people agree, you can do it."

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Both Sergio Perez and Force India accepted a portion of the blame for the Mexican's excruciating early exit in qualifying for the Italian GP.

Anticipating a strong fight to lead the midfield, Perez was caught the wrong side of a very close battle to make it through to Q2, finishing 16th by just 0.001s at Monza.

What made it worse was that result sat squarely on the shoulders of the team as they sat in the garage expecting his initial lap time to be good enough.

"I am very disappointed to go out in Q1," the Mexican driver admitted. "It’s very hard to digest. We thought we were safe but we underestimated how much the track would evolve in just a few minutes.

"It’s frustrating because we had so much potential to be right behind the top three teams this weekend and instead we are out after just one run."

Checo did admit he had a part to play in his own demise after making an error on his one and only timed lap.

"We were only two tenths behind Esteban [Ocon] in P7, but with such a close field the margins are very small and we lost out by one-thousandth of a second," he continued.

"We have to admit we made a mistake as a team. The call not to go out was wrong, but I also should have done a better lap during my first run. I lost some time and that left us vulnerable."

A further 0.001s behind him was Charles Leclerc, another surprise casualty in the first part of the qualifying as both Sauber's endured their worst session in some time.

“One thing is for sure I had absolutely nobody in front of me for any slipstreams,” said the Monegasque, "But again that doesn’t justify our lack of performance today.

"For now we still need to analyse obviously, still quite fresh, we need to analyse what was wrong. There was definitely something because Monza should be a track where we are strong.

"So to see us out in Q1 after in my opinion a very good lap because I was very happy about my lap."

 

         

 

 

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