F1’s title rivals crashed out midway through Sunday’s race at Monza as they went wheel-to-wheel in their battle for position at the first chicane, with Verstappen being launched over the♚ top of Hamilton’s Mercedes in the dramatic collision. 

Both drivers retired on the spot after ending up beached in the gravel together and Verstappen was given a three-place grid penalty for the next rac💮e in Russia after the stewards deemed he was “predominantly” to blame for the incident. 

Unlike at the British Grand Prix - where Red Bull launched a scathing post-race attack on Hamilton - both team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko did not criticis𓄧e the Mercedes driver and concluded it was a racing incident. 

And Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin believes Red Bull’s reserved reaction was a sign it felt Verstappen was t🥃o blame, even if it didn’t admit so publicly. 

“We obviously felt strongly that Lewis had done absolutely nothing wrong and that Max was t𒐪he one predominantly 🍌to blame,” Shovlin said.

“I think if you ༒look at the fact even Helmut and Christian weren’t trying to blame Lewis, it sort of feels like they know Max was🐻 in the wrong, because they will try and blame Lewis at any opportunity.”

Shovlin is convinced the accident ultimately cost Hamilton a genuine s🦹hot at victory and “certainly a second place”. 🧸;

“If you take the incident with Max and put it to one side, for Lewis it would’ve been a race against only D🙈aniel [Ricciardo],” Shovlin said. 💦“And the issue in the sprint race was Lando had some tow from the car ahead.

“So really it would’ve been a question of whether Lewis could’ve got by Daniel. You know that kind of zone th😼ꦐat Lewis goes into when there’s a win on the table and he can see it. 

“It would’ve been a good little battle iღn the end – but it w🌌ould’ve needed that pass on track to turn it into a win.

“U🎉lt𝓰imately, I think it cost Lewis a win and certainly a second place,” he added. 

“Sꦫo you’ll always feel that three places is relatively easy to overcome if you’ve got a competitive car. 

“But that’s all in the past now, we ꩲneed to make sure we put a good weekend together in Russia.”