Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen CRASH OUT as title rivals collide, with halo appearing to save Brit from serious injury at Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix – three place grid penalty handed to Dutchman

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix together as they collided on Sunday - with the halo appearing to save Britain's seven-time world champion from serious injury.

The incident occurred shortly after Hamilton emerged from the pit lane on lap 26, narrowly ahead of Verstappen, prompting the 23-year-old to aggressively fight for the position.

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As Hamilton left the pits, Verstappen drew alongside the Mercedes driver and, as they fought for position at the Variante Del Rettifilo, they collided.

Hamilton moved to his left to defend his position at the right-hander, with the Mercedes driver still just in front for the ensuing left-hander.

Verstappen ran out of room, and ran over the kerb which launched his Red Bull out of control and into Hamilton's Mercedes.

The rear of the Dutchman's airborne machine ran over the top of Hamilton's helmet, with the protective halo device absorbing the impact.

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Verstappen's rear tyre came into close proximity with Hamilton's head, despite the presence of safety features including the halo.

The front of Verstappen's Red Bull was then beached in the gravel, and resting on Hamilton's car.

A furious Verstappen said: "That is what happens when you don't leave any room."

The Dutchman jumped out of the cockpit and stormed away, without checking on Hamilton's condition.

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One lap later, Hamilton eventually emerged from his car, appearing to be unharmed in the second collision in five races between the championship protagonists.

Hamilton's team posted an update on Twitter which read: "For everyone asking, Lewis is OK. He's on his way back to the paddock now."

The incident was referred to the race stewards to investigate after the race and it has been decided that Verstappen should be given a three-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix.

“The Stewards heard from the driver of car 33 [Verstappen], the driver of car 44 [Hamilton] and team representatives, reviewed the video evidence and determined that the driver of Car 33 was predominantly to blame for the collision with Car 44 at Turn 2,” the stewards said in a statement.

When all was said and done, Daniel Ricciardo took advantage of the extraordinary accident to claim McLaren's first victory since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Australian driver led home a one-two finish for the British team with Lando Norris taking a career-best second.

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