Terrifying new vision emerges of life-threatening Hamilton-Verstappen crash

Terrifying new footage has emerged of the moment Max Verstappen’s car ran over Lewis Hamilton’s head at the Italian GP.

Hamilton was lucky to escape unharmed. (Photo by Andrej Isakovic/AFP)

Newly-released dash-cam footage shows just how serious Lewis Hamilton’s crash with Max Verstappen at Sunday’s Italian GP could have been.

The F1 icons collided as the Dutchman attempted an overtake into the Turn 1 chicane and it resulted in him almost running over the Brit’s head. Only the halo safety system on Hamilton’s car stopped the British legend from being seriously injured.

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Verstappen received a three place grid penalty for the next race in Russia as a result.

Hamilton walked away with just a headache and a sore neck but new vision from the front of his car shows just how dangerous the smash could have been.

Verstappen tried to pass but failed to complete the move and bounced over Hamilton’s car as the Mercedes driver defended his position.

Speaking after the race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: “Halo definitely saved Lewis’s life today.

“It would have been a horrible accident, that I don’t even want to think about, if we wouldn’t have had the halo.”

In addition to the stewards handing Verstappen a grid penalty for his next start, two penalty points were also added to the Red Bull driver’s licence.

After reviewing the footage, stewards determined Verstappen was never ahead of Hamilton’s front wheel and therefore did not have the right to the racing line. The Brit was also considered to have taken an “avoiding line” to limit the chances of contact with his rival.

CHECK OUT THE VISION IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

There were terrifying scenes in Italy. (Photo by Peter Van Egmond/Getty Images)

Hamilton was lucky to walk away unscathed. (Photo by Peter Van Egmond/Getty Images)

Hamilton was originally against the introduction of the “halo”, which was added to cars in recent years to protect drivers’ heads. Some didn’t like the new look but In this instance, it proved crucial.

“I am so grateful I am still here. I feel incredibly blessed that someone was watching over me today,” Hamilton said afterwards.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been hit on the head by a car before — and it is quite a big shock for me.

“We are taking risks and it’s only when you experience something like that that you get the real shock of how you look at life and how fragile we all are.”

Verstappen had played down his role in the collision before seeing the stewards.

“These things happen. We are all professional enough to get on with it and keep on racing each other,” he said.

“But I did not expect him to keep on squeezing, squeezing, squeezing. He did not even need to.

“If he would have left me a car width we would have raced out of Turn 2 and he would have probably would have stayed in front anyway.

“He kept on pushing me wider and wider and at one point there was nowhere to go and he pushed me onto the sausage kerb and that is why we touched, because the rear tyre bumped up to his tyre.”

This article first appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission