Lewis Hamilton targets Max Verstappen title after safety car drama at Italian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton couldn't help but barely take aim at the FIA ​​and Max Verstappen after the Italian Grand Prix was forced to end under the safety car following Daniel Ricciardo's late retirement . Verstappen managed to pick up another win to close in on this year's Drivers' Championship crown but was able to cross the line unopposed, with the safety car remaining on track until the checkered flag after the stewards failed to failed to clear Ricciardo's car in time to allow the race to continue.

The situation at Monza has led many onlookers to draw comparisons to the FIA's controversial handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, where Verstappen overtook Hamilton to claim his first title after a restart of the safety car on the last lap in which the rules were not applied. correctly by former race director Michael Masi. Hamilton, who managed to clinch a fifth-place finish on Sunday, alluded to last year's incident in Abu Dhabi as he reflected on the closing stages of the Italian Grand Prix in a post-race interview with < em>Sky Sports.

"It always brings back memories," Hamilton said. "That's the rule it should be, isn't it? So only once in the history of the sport have they broken the rule."

The FIA ​​received widespread criticism following Sunday's race for allowing it to finish under the safety car, with many fans suggesting the race should have been red flagged and restarted from the grid after Ricciardo broke. at the bottom of the circuit. The decision by the stewards deprived Charles Leclerc of the opportunity to fight Verstappen for a late victory in front of his beloved supporters at Monza, with Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto expressing his post-race fury.

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"I was a bit disappointed with the ending, finishing behind a safety car is never great for F1, the show," Binotto said when asked about how the final laps went. Italian Grand Prix.

"The FIA ​​had plenty of time to do something different today. It was safe to race on the track towards the end, expecting that much is just wrong.

"We need to have discussions on how to improve because the aim must be to restart racing as soon as possible. The FIA ​​needs more experience, but they need to do a better job because F1 merit."

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The FIA ​​went on to explain that Sunday's race ended behind the safety car because Ricciardo's stationary car was not dangerous enough to warrant issuing a red flag.< /p>

"Although every effort was made to quickly recover car 3 and resume racing, the situation developed and the stewards were unable to put the car in neutral and push it on the way out," an FIA spokesperson said, as reported.< /p>

"As the safety of the recovery operation is our only priority, and the incident was not significant enough to require a red flag, the race was completed under safety car following procedures agreed between the FIA ​​and all Competitors. The timing of the safety car period in a race has no bearing on this procedure."

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