Lewis Hamilton picked up a five-second time penalty after he squeezed out McLaren driver Oscar Piastri during the latter stages of the Italian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion had lined up the switchback as the two drivers ran down to the Variante del Rettifilo chicane, getting the better exit as the drivers barrelled through the Curva Grande.

With the better run out of the Curva Grande, Hamilton had the inside line heading into the Variante della Roggia, but as he looked to close out the move he squeezed Piastri to the outside. 

Piastri’s left front tyre made contact with the right rear of Hamilton, sending both drivers into the run-off area and leaving the Aussie with damage, forcing him to pit at the end of the lap. 

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When the chequered flag waved, the penalty had no impact with Hamilton finishing the race with a spare two-and-a-half seconds buffer to seventh-placed Alex Albon. The seven-time world champion held onto his position when all was said and done.

This wasn’t the end of the controversy for Piastri, who was in the wars throughout the afternoon. The 22-year-old first made contact with team-mate Lando Norris when leaving the pit lane before some sketchy wheel-to-wheel action with Liam Lawson left him under investigation at the end of the race.

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Piastri was ultimately handed a five-second time penalty of his own for the incident after failing to give the place back to the AlphaTauri driver, capping off a messy weekend for the rookie who has been otherwise immense this season. 

Mercedes ended their Italian Grand Prix with two penalties to their drivers’ names. George Russell was given a five-second penalty after going straight on at the first chicane in his battle with Esteban Ocon. 

The 25-year-old was also unaffected by his reprimand, seeing out a P5 finish ahead of his team-mate after some intense battling with Red Bull driver Sergio Perez during the opening stint. 

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