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Verstappen explains why he didn't check on Hamilton

Max Verstappen says he knew Lewis Hamilton was fine after their clash at the Italian Grand Prix, having seen his title rival trying to reverse out of the gravel.

Max Verstappen has brushed off suggestions that he should have done more to check that Lewis Hamilton was unhurt following their collision in the Italian Grand Prix. Verstappen and Hamilton came to blows in dramatic fashion during Sunday's race at Monza as they went wheel-to-wheel through the first chicane. After the pair made contact, Verstappen hit the sausage kerb and his car was pitched over the top of Hamilton's, sending both drivers into retirement – their cars coming to a halt in the gravel trap with the Red Bull atop the Mercedes. Verstappen headed straight back to the pits, without taking the time to check on his title rival's condition, raising questions in his post-race media session, and leaving Hamilton himself feeling "surprised" . Verstappen, who has been hit with a grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix , defended his reaction to the incident and made clear that he could see Hamilton trying to reverse out of the gravel. "No, Lewis was fine," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.com , when asked if he could have done more in the immediate aftermath. "He was still trying to reverse when I was already out of the car, so when you're not fine, you are not doing that." Asked why he appeared so calm after the clash, and speaking ahead of the stewards' decision to penalise him, Verstappen commented: "Because there are a lot of reasons and a lot of things to analyse as well. "I'm disappointed. I was hoping for a very good result. But we move on." Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff credited the Halo for saving Hamilton's life after the crash , and hopes the two title rivals can "find a way how to race each other" in upcoming races.

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