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Formula 1
Emilia Romagna GP
F1 Emilia Romagna GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola
Max Verstappen will start the race from pole position, having topped both qualifying and winning the sprint race ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Despite finishing second in the sprint race, Leclerc extended his early lead in the F1 drivers’ world championship to 40 points over nearest rival and Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz.
The Emilia Romagna GP gets underway at 2.00pm BST (3.00pm local time).
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Bottas is now on Magnussen's tail at the start of lap 13, but the Haas driver covers him off into Turn 1. Meanwhile, Leclerc's now within 2s of Perez, lapping faster than both Red Bulls.
The Magnussen/Russell battle has brought Bottas into play now, a year on from the latter duo's...skirmish last year. But Russell stuffs it past at the Variante Alta, and clears Magnussen!
Russell tries to find a way past at Piratella, but there's not the space to thread his Mercedes down the inside. But he's much closer as he begins his 12th lap, and sweeps around the outside - but clatters across the kerb to let Magnussen back through!
Russell is very close to Magnussen now, following the Dane through Rivazza. He follows down the straight to kick off lap 11, but Magnussen places his car perfectly to keep Russell at bay into Turn 1.
The debate about DRS now being too powerful has come up following the sprint race, so this period of no DRS racing provides a useful example of life without it. Not many overtakes yet.
Stopwatch
It's now a 1m29.917s for Verstappen, as Leclerc is reeling Perez in now. Meanwhile, Russell is chasing Magnussen for fifth.
The midfield gaps have stabilised after that frantic start and while Hamilton is in DRS range of Stroll in 10th the DRS hasn't been enabled due to the wet conditions.
Stopwatch
Verstappen's building a break at the front, setting a 1m30.119s, as Leclerc streaks past Norris into the Tamburello at the start of lap 8 to grab third. Perez is next on his agenda.
Mechanical problem
We'd guess Alonso's damage was picked up in his contact with Schumacher on the opening lap, and then the bodywork on the sidepod gave way just as Hamilton got by him. Alonso pits at the end of lap six and that's his race run.
It has been a disaster restart for Alonso who has also lost places to Stroll and Hamilton directly behind him. Alonso's Alpine has huge sidepod damage which may explain his poor pace.
Leclerc already having a look at Norris into Tamburello, but loses a little ground and is now being hounded by Magnussen. Russell is also lurking behind.
At the restart Vettel gets ahead of Alonso for eighth place at the exit of the Tamburello chicane, and then Tsunoda also gets by the Spanish driver a few corners later.
Green flag
We're back under way, and Verstappen kicks us back off for lap 5.
TV replays have shown what happened to Schumacher to lose all those places, he got on the kerbs as the pack bunched around the Sainz vs Ricciardo clash and was pushed into a half-spin after minor contact with Alonso.
Quote
"Just to let you know Max, nobody has pitted for slick tyres," Verstappen is told over the radio. "It's definitely too risky," replies the leader.
Safety car
The safety car is in this lap.
Pit stop
Ricciardo pits for fresh intermediate tyres with nothing to lose already running in last place and under safety car conditions.
No further investigation for the lap 1 contact between Ricciardo and Sainz - stewards declare it a racing incident.
Schumacher was another big loser in that start dropping down to 17th place, with only Zhou and Ricciardo behind him. Sainz is out of his Ferrari and out of this race.
Ricciardo tagged Sainz to take the Ferrari into the gravel, with Bottas touching the rear of the McLaren in that fracas. A difficult one to unpick, that.
Safety car
Magnussen has charged up to fifth too - and we've got a safety car for Sainz, who's beached in the gravel yet again!
In all that mess at the start Russell has profited massively to move up to sixth place having started 11th - getting by Bottas, Alonso and Schumacher after the tangle between Sainz and Ricciardo.
Off track
Verstappen has a very good start, but Leclerc doesn't! Perez and Norris trickle past the Ferrari, as Ricciardo and Sainz tangle - leaving Sainz in the gravel at the first chicane!
Lights out
And the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is under way!
Quote
"We expect more rain in 20-25 minutes," Pierre Gasly's engineer reports over the radio.
Green flag
The formation lap hath commenced. Keep it clean, chaps.
Still damp conditions on what Nadine Dorries would describe as an F1 pitch, so make sure you're downstreaming the race as it's sure to be as exciting as a lockdown party.
Rain
Some notices for y'all: everyone's starting this race on the intermediate tyre. There's also a 60% chance of rain over the grand prix.
The Aston Martin safety car - Max Verstappen's favourite foe - has made a plethora of appearances this weekend. There's a chance we'll get more this afternoon.
Stopwatch
10 minutes to go, folks. Are we ready?
The Italian flag plumes over the start-finish straight in an aerobatic fly-by. Glad to see F1 is committed to a green future.
Breaking news
Russell starts 11th from Tsunoda, Vettel, Hamilton, Stroll, Ocon, Gasly, Albon and Latifi - with Zhou starting from the pitlane after his sprint crash with Gasly.
Breaking news
Let's have a reminder of the grid: Verstappen starts from pole, from Leclerc, Perez, Sainz, Norris, Ricciardo, Bottas, Magnussen, Alonso and Schumacher completing the top 10.
Just over 20 minutes until we get going. The big choice among the teams is whether to start on intermediate tyres or the full wet. As the rain appears to have stopped, it'll likely be the green-walled inter. We shall see.
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With a wet circuit, who can make a splash at Imola? Will Leclerc continue to reign in 2022, or can Verstappen pour water on Ferrari's hopes in Italy? It'll all come out in the wash.
Rain
Update: it's still wet.
It's been a real smorgasbord of racing in the world this weekend: WRC has just finished up, MotoGP is currently on now, there's two more BTCC races to come this afternoon - and that's still not all.
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By: autosport.com
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