Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: race updates and results
LIVE: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Wet conditions threaten to cause chaos as Lewis Hamilton looks to make it back-to-back wins to boost hopes of an eighth world title, with the Mercedes ace on pole ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
- The second round of the F1 season take place with Sunday’s Emilia Romagna GP
- Mercedes are looking to build on Lewis Hamilton’s opening victory as he is pole
- Hamilton won the season-opener in in Bahrain despite late Red Bull pressure
- Latest Formula One news, including schedule and results
Lewis Hamilton gave himself the best shot of victory after securing his 99th pole position to start at the front for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion was run close by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Bahrain and he will expect another tough fight on Sunday, despite the Dutchman down in third.
Follow Sportsmail‘s DANIEL DAVIS for live Formula One coverage of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, including build-up, race updates and result.
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There’s already a large amount of spray as the drivers work their way around for the formation lap.
We have Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin starting on the wets.
Everyone else is on the intermediate tyre type.
That brake fire means that Sebastian Vettel will have to start all the way back.
He was set to start in 13th but the problem just wasn’t sorted in time.
You do have to feel for him. It’s just not going his way at the moment.
We have teams, especially Aston Martin, still scrambling to make sure that everything is ready for lights out.
But after all that drama, let’s once again turn our attention to the front of the grid.
We have Lewis Hamilton as the pole sitter, with the Red Bull duo of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen breathing down his neck.
Charles Leclerc will start in fourth, with Pierre Gasly in his little AlphaTauri rocket ship fifth and Daniel Ricciardo in sixth.
A crestfallen, but determined, Lando Norris is in seventh, while Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll round off the top 10.
The umbrellas have come out for the We Race As One gesture and the national anthem of Italy.
It looks like we should expect light to moderate rain before, or by, the start of the race.
Lando Norris has described the circuit as being ‘bone-dry’ towards the end, so that’ll be something to keep a close eye on.
It looks as though both Aston Martin cars have got some massive brake problems.
Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel’s brakes caught fire as they headed towards the grid.
The team are currently working away to fix any issues before we get underway.
Stroll declared ‘the whole thing is on fire’ over the radio. Time is running out to ensure we start off with 20 drivers!
His weekend just gets better and better.
Courtesy of Jennie Gow, it’s a rear left puncture for Valtteri Bottas.
I thought the rain was meant to cause trouble IN the race, not before?
Lando Norris has reported the first sector as being ‘sketchy’.
Like I said just now, there are bits of the track that are drenched, particularly Tamburello and Acque Minerali, but the pit straight is fine.
Deary me! This downpour is really starting to take its toll now on parts of the circuit.
Fernando Alonso, out on his reconnaissance lap, was unable to prevent himself veering into the gravel.
It was only a little bit of contact with the barriers, but the two-time world champion’s Alpine will be good to go after checks.
You really do have to feel for him. Lando Norris looked destined to be starting in the top three today, but exceeded track limits.
It was a barnstorming lap from him on his final run out, but his McLaren just veered too far right at Piratella.
That saw his time deleted.
A few inches the other side, and it would have been all smiles for him. Still, what a day to try and make up for the mistake, eh?
He will begin in seventh, one spot behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
Now THAT could make this afternoon very interesting indeed…
First it looked like it wouldn’t, and then it did, and then it didn’t again.
But there it is, courtesy of Mercedes. The skies have opened. I expect the strategists will be scrambling around right about now.
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
6. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
7. Lando Norris (McLaren)
8. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
11. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
12. George Russell (Williams)
13. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
14. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
15. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
16. Kimi Raikkonen (Alpha Romeo)
17. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alpha Romeo)
18. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
19. Nikita Mazepin (Haas)
20. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
Lewis Hamilton clinched the 99th pole of his career in qualifying yesterday, but it would be fair to say both he and Bono were left pleasantly surprised.
Sergio Perez, in second, and third-placed Max Verstappen were both inside one tenth of a second of Hamilton’s time, but made costly errors.
The strategy advantage, in a complete mirror opposite to Bahrain, lies with Red Bull, though.
Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas endured a bit of a shocker and will start from eighth on the grid.
As usual, JONATHAN McEVOY was keeping a close eye on all the action for Sportsmail.
Formula One confirmed this morning that Miami’s iconic Hard Rock Stadium will play host to a new GP from 2022.
A ten-year agreement has been reached – and the proposals have been in place for quite some time.
My colleague DANNY GALLAGHER has all the latest details on this story below!
Hello, all! Welcome along to Sportsmail’s live coverage of the second race of this F1 season at Imola.
It will be my pleasure to take you through all the twists and turns – and hopefully we can expect plenty of them.
There’s no reason why there won’t be any, with Lewis Hamilton on pole flanked by the two Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen.
The last three weeks have gone by very slowly… but finally, in less than an hour, it’ll be lights out again.
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