The Lap 40 of the Italian Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton hit Oscar Piastri’s front wing as the Mercedes star was on his way to overtake the McLaren driver. The collision resulted in Piastri moving out of the points finish and, therefore, got his race jeopardized. Now, McLaren boss Andrea Stella has come ahead to analyze the seven-time world champion’s behavior, as per RaceFans.
The two drivers were jockeying for a position nearing the end of the race when the collision took place. Hamilton, having benefitted from an alternate tire strategy, had the confidence to overtake Piastri. This, in the end, did not work out well.
The incident that landed Lewis Hamilton with a five-second penalty 💥
Hamilton later apologised to Piastri for the clash#ItalianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/AGyIGnSkTQ
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 3, 2023
Following this, the ‘frustrated’ Silver Arrows ace came ahead to apologize to the 22-year-old driver. Hamilton approached Piastri to talk about his move, which cost him position and therefore snatched the possible points finish. This led to Stella sharing his thoughts.
McLaren boss shares his verdict on Lewis Hamilton
McLaren honcho Stella has recently opened up on Hamilton’s behavior following the conclusion of the Monza race. The Italian engineer was full of praise for the Mercedes driver due to his apologetic concerns.
As the 38-year-old accepted the responsibility for the collision, the entire Papaya team grew respect for the Briton. Talking about this, he said, “Lewis is a fair competitor. If he apologized, it would show his qualities as a competitor and as a person. He definitely has our respect.”
Lewis Hamilton approached Oscar Piastri after the race to apologise for the incident. pic.twitter.com/qRJF0mLQn6
— deni (@fiagirly) September 3, 2023
Even though Piastri lost out on important points at Monza, he could do nothing but accept his fate. However, the incident did not build any wall between him and Hamilton, as no love was lost.
Hamilton and Piastri are still on good terms despite the Monza collision
Oscar Piastri was looking towards having a back-to-back point finish at Monza that he started at Silverstone. However, that one move from Lewis Hamilton was enough to send him back to the pitstop and, therefore, behind the pecking order.
Nevertheless, Piastri and Hamilton’s relationship wasn’t affected because of this, as the seven-time world champion is still on Piastri’s Christmas card list. When Tom Clarkson of the F1 Nation podcast asked about this, the McLaren driver confirmed that he was impressed after Hamilton owned up to his mistake.
Furthermore, the Mercedes star has been a long-time idol for the young McLaren driver. When Piastri was a kid, he watched the British driver tear through the tracks in his Red and Silver McLaren F1 challenger.
