Marko: Mercedes put on a show with 'injured' Hamilton

The crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix, and the respective drivers' reactions, made headlines worldwide. Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has now spoken out to criticise the way that Hamilton and Mercedes, in his view, have been "putting on a show". Hamilton stated that he suffered with his head and neck following the incident, and Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has spoken of how his driver escaped death thanks to the Halo device. Hamilton also said he found it remarkable that Verstappen did not check on his condition in the immediate aftermath. Marko admitted that he was most annoyed by Red Bull's delayed pit-stop, which led to the two title rivals unexpectedly meeting on track. "That is the only reason Hamilton came close to Verstappen," Marko told Austrian outlet OE24. "It was a normal racing accident. All the stories around it have been pulled out of the air by Mercedes. "Verstappen had already pulled out of the race when Hamilton put his car in reverse and tried to get out of the gravel. The Medical Car saw that and drove on. "Then they [Mercedes] put on a show that poor Hamilton is suddenly injured and so on." Marko does not deny, though, that the Halo device may have prevented serious injury: "Although I was sceptical at the beginning, I have to admit that like the [Romain] Grosjean crash, the Halo was crucial [in ensuring] that it ended so well."