Verstappen move "calculated" 'to take Hamilton out' - Hill

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill believes the "only conclusion" to the collision between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton was that the Dutchman felt he had to "take him out".

Verstappen has been hit with a three-place grid penalty for the dramatic crash at turn one on lap 26 of the Italian Grand Prix that resulted in the Red Bull land on top of Hamilton's Mercedes, leaving the seven-time champion with a neck injury.

Stewards found the championship leader "predominantly to blame" for the incident but with both drivers retiring, Verstappen holds onto his five-point title lead.

Speaking in his Sky Sports F1 punditry role, and after seeing multiple replays of the incident, Hill declared Verstappen had made a "calculated move".

"I have to say, looking at the re-run of Max on Lewis at turn one, there was no way he was going to make that work," explained 1996 champion Hill.

"He had to take evasive action as Lewis did in the second chicane previously to avoid an accident.

"So the only conclusion is he might have been thinking 'I have to take him out'.

"I don't want to think that, I don't want to think that of any driver but I think it was either an error of judgement or a calculated move to collide with Lewis which is strong stuff.

"I don't like the idea I am accusing anyone of doing that deliberately but he has got a points advantage.

"This was a race Mercedes was supposed to win and it has all backfired and Max has come out still with his championship lead."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had told Sky Sports F1 he believed the move to be a "tactical foul", a suggestion that irked Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner.

"I am disappointed Toto would say it is a professional foul. I think it is a racing incident and thankfully no one was injured today," he said.

"He [Verstappen] earned enough to be given a bit more space to work with on the outside.

"You can probably argue both sides. I think if you take a middle ground on it you would say it was a racing incident."

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