Max Verstappen "Swears" As Footage Shows Scary Near Miss In Italian GP Pit Lane

Max Verstappen expressed his anger over team radio after a close call in the pit lane during the Italian Grand Prix qualifying session, where he narrowly avoided a collision with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.

The incident occurred in the final stages of Q1 as drivers were heading back out for their last flying laps. Verstappen had just exited his garage when Piastri was released from his, leading to a tense moment in the pit lane. The reigning champion had to take quick action, slowing down and veering left to avoid contact, though the two cars came alarmingly close to each other.

“F***, we almost crashed!” Verstappen shouted over the radio, visibly frustrated. His Red Bull race engineer promptly reported the incident to race control. The new rules for this season prohibit cars from crossing the white line into the pit lane if it could impede another car, which Verstappen argued was clearly the case here.

Footage of the incident showed the McLaren mechanic guiding Piastri out of the garage without checking the pit lane for oncoming traffic, leading to Verstappen’s close call. Given the circumstances, it’s expected that the stewards will issue a punishment, likely a fine for the McLaren team, as grid penalties are not typically applied for unsafe releases during qualifying.

Despite the near-miss, Verstappen managed to avoid any damage and advanced to Q2 without issue, even easing off on his final flying lap after being assured by his team that his position was safe.

Meanwhile, other drivers faced mixed fortunes. Newcomer Franco Colapinto, driving for Williams, struggled and ended up 18th after running off into the gravel on his final attempt, missing the chance to capitalize on the track’s peak conditions. The Sauber drivers also had a tough session, finishing 19th and 20th for the second consecutive weekend. Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the bottom five, with both Alpine drivers surprisingly making it into Q2.

At the front, an exciting battle for pole position loomed, with Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari all vying for the top spot in what promised to be a thrilling qualifying session at Monza.