Protected

LEWIS Hamilton said he felt fortunate to be alive after the Italian GP collision with Max Verstappen. Stewards handed Red Bull’s championship leader Verstappen a three-place grid penalty for the next round in Russia after his car landed on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes, with the rear tyre hitting the champion’s head. The halo protection device, a titanium ring around the cockpit, took most of the impact in a crash that left both drivers out of the race at Monza. “I feel very, very fortunate today… thank God for the halo. That did ultimately save me, you know, and saved my neck,” seven-time world champion Hamilton told reporters.