MOTORSPORT: Ricciardo snares 'insane' F1 win

Daniel Ricciardo scored a stunning victory in the Italian Grand Prix as Formula 1 title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided – again – and took each other out of the race.

The Aussie Honey Badger has had a miserable year since joining the McLaren team, usually outpaced by his mercurial young British teammate Lando Norris in both qualifying and races. But he did everything right at Monza.

“I never left. I just moved aside for a while,” Ricciardo joked after scoring his eighth career victory.

Ricciardo got his mojo back by running second in the qualifying sprint on Saturday, earning him a front-row starting position alongside Verstappen and ahead of Norris, and led from start to finish on a landmark day for McLaren.

It was the first win in nine years for a team which once dominated Formula 1 with legendary drivers from James Hunt through Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, but has struggled in recent seasons before a total overhaul led by mercurial American team boss Zak Brown.

“It’s insane. About … time. There was something in me on Friday. I knew there was going to be something good,” Ricciardo said.

While Ricciardo and Norris were celebrating, joined on the podium by Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes-AMG who charged through to third from last on the grid, the blame game was already underway between the Red Bull Racing and Mercedes-AMG teams which had already squared up after their lead drivers collided at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

No-one was injured this time despite the Red Bull landing on top of the Mercedes, but both Verstappen and Hamilton, who bumped on the first lap and then completed the job at the first corner as Hamilton resumed after a tyre stop, were clearly laying blame with their opponent.

“He cut across. I ran around the outside. He realised I was going for it. He kept squeezing me,” said Verstappen.

“I want to race. I didn’t expect him to keep on squeezing, squeezing, squeezing. If he had left me a car’s width … I think he would still have been in front.

“I was alongside him. You need two people to work together. Unfortunately we touched. If one guy is not willing to work, what are you going to do?”

Said Hamilton: “I was racing as hard as I could. I was ahead in turn two and then suddenly he was on top of me. He didn’t want to give way today.”

Mercedes-AMG boss Toto Wolff described the incident as “a tactical foul”.

“Let the stewards make the judgment. I don’t want to be a pundit,” he said.

A stewards' hearing after the race blamed Verstappen for the crash and hit him with a three-spot grid penalty for the next race, at Sochi in Russia.

There was plenty of other action at Monza, which often throws up extra excitement including Pierre Gasly’s unlikely win last year for AlphaTauri.

Sergio Perez was penalised for one incident, dropping him from third on the road to fifth at the finish behind Charles Leclerc in the best of the Ferraris.

But through it all and despite an appeal from Norris to let him take the lead, Ricciardo sailed along at the front.

Then he celebrated with his traditional ’Shoey’ – drinking champagne from his racing boot – and delivered a victory speech in fluent Italian that earned an ovation from the crowd.

“Amazing,” said Ricciardo. “Can I swear? I want to swear.

“I tried to soak it in. I don't think we had mega speed but it was enough. I’m, for once, lost for words.”

Sunday at Monza was also good for the other Aussie racer, Oscar Piastri, who also led from start to finish in the feature race to extend his lead in the FIA Formula 2 championship.

2021 Italian Grand Prix results:

2021 Formula 1 driver standings: