Lewis Hamilton roars ‘that’s bulls***’ as penalty for illegal pit stop hands Gasly victory in action-packed Italian GP

LEWIS HAMILTON took the blame for an illegal pitstop that cost him victory in the Italian GP – then hailed his mate, Pierre Gasly the shock winner.

The reigning world champion looked to be cruising towards a sixth win in eight this season while title rivals Valtteri Bottas and and Max Verstappen struggled.

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Pierre Gasly celebrates his first F1 victory on Sunday[/caption]

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Lewis Hamilton pitted when the lane was closed and hit with a penalty[/caption]

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Lewis Hamilton took a trip to the stewards’ room during the red flag after being hit with a 10-second stop-go penalty[/caption]

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Pierre Gasly won the Italian Grand Prix in crazy fashion at Monza[/caption]

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The AlphaTauri team celebrate a stunning victory[/caption]

But the race completely turned on it’s head when Kevin Magnussen crashed out at the halfway stage and parked his Haas at the entry to the pit lane.

The safety car was called out and Hamilton pitted straight away from the lead, unaware of the fact the lane was closed to recover Magnussen’s stranded car.

And that was followed moments later by a red flag after Charles Leclerc suffered a scary crash at the Parabolica chicane.

The Frenchman escaped unhurt, but it was the second Ferrari not to finish their home grand prix after Sebastian Vettel’s brake failure.

An angry Hamilton took a trip to the stewards’ room while the race was stopped to protest his case.

But the Brit was hit with a 10-second stop-go penalty and roared “that’s bulls**” over the team radio.

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Pierre Gasly looks to the heavens after his stunning win[/caption]

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Lewis Hamilton was fuming with the penalty but gracious after the race[/caption]

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Sebastian Vettel retired early with a brake failure in more misery for Ferrari[/caption]

He dropped all the way to the back of the pack when the race resumed with 26 laps to go.

And that allowed Gasly to lead little AlphaTauri – Red Bull’s B-team – to an unbelievable home victory in Italy.

Gasly had just enough in the tank to guide his car to victory in their home grand prix from Carlos Sainz’s McLaren in second.

Lance Stroll came third for Racing Point ahead of Lando Norris in the second McLaren.

While BOTH Ferraris failed to finish as their nightmare season went on.

A crumb of comfort for Hamilton was that title rival Verstappen retired while Bottas finished off the podium in 5th.

The Brit fought his way back through the pack to finish 7th.

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Lewis Hamilton got away cleanly, but Valtteri Bottas was chased down by both McLarens[/caption]

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The McLarens of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris had flying starts behind Hamilton[/caption]

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But the safety car and red flag that followed threw the race into chaos[/caption]

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Pierre Gasly benefitted from Hamilton’s woes to win at Monza[/caption]

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Carlos Sainz came home second for McLaren[/caption]

Race winner Gasly said: “It’s unbelievable. It was such a crazy race and we capitalised on the red flag. The car was fast.

“I have been through so much in the space of 18 months. My first podium last year and now my first win in F1.

“I have no words. This team have done so much for me. They gave me my first opportunity in F1, my first podium and now my first win.”

Hamilton said: “I need to say a huge congratulations to Pierre because that’s a fantastic result for him. I’ve seen what he’s been through to see him dropped by the top team now beat the top team.

“My race wasn’t meant to be today but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

“It was a long pit stop but once I finally caught everybody I enjoyed that bit of a battle.

“We didn’t do a great job with the pit stop. I didn’t see those boards and take responsibility for that and it’s something I’ll learn from.

“To get 7th and still get the fastest lap is still some good points so I’ll definitely take it.

“And grateful that Max didn’t score any points, so not a huge loss today.”

He later added: “I wanted to see the stewards and they showed me two signs that had crosses on it, but I had not seen them as I was looking elsewhere.

“I hold myself accountable for not seeing the signs and it was part of a whole sequence of things that were not perfect.

“The penalty feels severe. A stop-and-go penalty would normally come if you have done something intentional or put someone in danger.

“So having experienced that and it almost put me out of the race, is not great.”

F1 stays in Italy for next week’s race at Mugello, which marks the halfway point in the 2020 season.

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A flyover makes the colours of the Italian flag before the race[/caption]

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Italian healthcare heroes were in the stands, along with cardboard fan cutouts[/caption]