Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's historic collision as McLaren break drought

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash — Photo: © LAT Images

Italian Grand Prix

Hamilton and Verstappen's historic collision as McLaren break drought

All the best stats and facts from the Italian Grand Prix

Ewan Gale

Monday 13 September 2021 16:45

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F1 was back to its brilliant best during a race of drama, excitement and intrigue at Monza.

The Italian Grand Prix was a showcase event given the hype surrounding the second sprint trial, yet turned into a race featuring a clash between title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

McLaren was the star of the show though, so without further ado, here are the big stats and facts from an incredible weekend at the 'Temple of Speed'.

McLaren return to form

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Daniel Ricciardo's victory, his first since Monaco 2018, brought an end to McLaren's drought after waiting since Jenson Button's win in Brazil 2012.

Lando Norris' second-placed finish ensured the team was the first to earn a one-two this season and was the first by McLaren since Canada 2010.

Panis keeps his record

The 170-race gap between McLaren's latest two wins slots the team into second for the longest drought between victories for an ever-present team in F1.

The record stands at 231 races for Ligier, with Olivier Panis' win in Monaco 1996 ending a 15-year after Jacques Laffite took victory in Canada 1981.

Mercedes dominance

Valtteri Bottas joined the McLaren duo on the podium to make it an all-Mercedes-powered rostrum.

This was the first time a single power unit supplier had swept the podium since Mexico 2015, when Nico Rosberg and Hamilton were joined by Bottas' Williams in another Mercedes clean sweep.

Ol' reliable fails

Hamilton's clash with Verstappen handed the Briton his first retirement in 63 starts, a run stretching back to Austria 2018.

Incredibly, the DNF was only the second for Hamilton in five years since his infamous engine blow-up at Malaysia 2016. Could this have as big an impact on his title aspirations as that painful day in Sepang?

Verstappen and Hamilton experience a first

Since Verstappen joined the grid back in 2015, the Italian GP, remarkably, was the first instance in which both the Dutchman and Hamilton had retired from the same race in which they had started.

There is always a first to be had from these two superstars, even if it isn't the type of groundbreaking record they would want.