F1 legend's brutal swipe at 'immature' Max Verstappen
F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has called out Max Verstappen's lack of 'maturity' for a championship-winning driver following the chaos that unfolded at the Italian Grand Prix.
The Dutch driver leads the championship by five points, but was heavily criticised for his role in a frightening crash with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
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The British driver said afterwards that he was lucky to be alive and praised F1's 'halo' safety device after Verstappen's Red Bull slammed into his Mercedes and came within centimetres of the Brit's head.
Hamilton was taken to hospital for a check-up after the incident after claiming that it had left him with a headache and sore neck.
Stunning new footage released after the incident showed a different angle of Verstappen's Red Bull crashing over the top of Hamilton's head.
Hamilton also hit out at Verstappen for failing to check whether the Mercedes driver was OK after the terrifying incident.
Now, F1 great Sir Stewart has called out Verstappen and said the Dutch driver hasn't 'matured' over the years.
“Verstappen is taking longer than expected to mature,” Stewart told the Daily Mail.
“Not even to go to see Hamilton after a serious accident when you have just driven over the top of the guy is something I don’t really understand.
“Especially when he is still in his car and remained there for a long time before getting out. Max has quite a lot to learn. But who will he listen to?
“He’s very, very good. He’s probably the fastest driver on the grid now, but to be a proper champion you cannot be entangling yourself in crashes all the time.”
While he hit out Verstappen, Sir Stewart said both drivers are partially to blame for the dangerous crash.
Debate rages over Hamilton-Verstappen crash
The F1 world continues to debate who was at fault for the scary incident.
Mercedes world champion Hamilton fortunately walked away from the crash at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix, in which Verstappen's Red Bull was launched over the back of Hamilton's car.
The right rear wheel of Verstappen's car made contact with Hamilton's helmet as it crashed over the top of the Mercedes, with the halo device thankfully sparing Hamilton of serious injury.
The crash between the two championship rivals marks another flashpoint in an increasingly acrimonious season, with tensions often on show between the rival teams.
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo was unbothered by the chaos unfolding behind him, having sensationally managed to steal the lead from Verstappen heading into the first corner.
While it was a popular result among fans, debate has continued to rage over who was more at fault in the Verstappen-Hamilton crash.
The Monza stewards blamed championship leader Verstappen and handed the Dutch 23-year-old a three place grid drop for the next race in Russia.
The FIA later announced it would launch an investigation into the 'unusual' crash, with F1 race director saying it was still important to examine the relatively low-speed impact.
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