F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola - As it happened
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Updated 01/11/2020 at 13:49 GMT
F1 LIVE - Follow text commentary on the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from Imola as Lewis Hamilton bids for his ninth race win of the 2020 season, although he has to battle team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who starts on pole as F1 returns to the famous Italian circuit. Hamilton has now surpassed Michael Schumacher with an incredible 92 career race wins.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Image credit: Getty Images
Result
1) Hamilton 2) Bottas 3) Ricciardo 4) Kvyat 5) Leclerc 6) Perez 7) Norris 8) Sainz 9) Raikkonen 10) Giovinazzi 11) Latifi 12) Vettel 13) Stroll 14) Grosjean 15) Albon DNF - Russell, Verstappen, Magnussen, Ocon, Gasly
Hamilton wins! Mercedes are champions!
Hamilton takes the chequered flag! It's a Mercedes one-two with Bottas in second and Mercedes have won their seventh straight constructors' championship! Ricciardo completes the podium positions.
63/63 - Last lap!
Kvyat is hounding Ricciardo for a podium finish! The Renault is doing just enough to maintain track position. Behind Kvyat, Leclerc is in P5 with Perez in P6. Hamilton holds the fastest lap bonus point as he head into the last lap.
61/63 - Hamilton edges closer
This will be another Mercedes victory as Hamilton moves to within two laps of the chequered flag. Meanwhile, look at the debris Bottas was carrying!
60/63 - Albon P15
Albon is coming into the pits and is shifting on to a fresh set of tyres. He's at the back of the pack after that spint, but is going to have a shot at the fastest lap to salvage something from what has been another disappointing weekend for the young Thai driver.
57/63 - Safety Car is in!
We are racing again! Hamilton gets a good start away from the Safety Car, but there's a spin! It's Albon! Did he touch Sainz? Kvyat has moved up into fourth place! The replays show there was no contact between Sainz and Albon. It was just an error from Albon. He lost the back end.
56/63 - Still behind the SC
Hopefully we will get a handful of laps to finish this race. The marshals have two cars to clear off the track. This Safety Car, as well as the Virtual Safety Car, was worked wonderfully for Hamilton who looks destined to win his third straight race.
53/63 - RUSSELL OUT!
Russell into the wall! What on earth happened there? Russell was on course for his first ever points finish, but he's into the wall after trying to keep his tyres warm! Strange, strange incident! "I dunno what to say" Russell says as his car comes to a stop.
51/63 - VERSTAPPEN OUT!
Verstappen's race is over! "Something broke on the car," says the Dutch driver and he's in the gravel trap. Verstappen was running in P2, but we are now behind the actual Safety Car and this race is surely in the bag for Hamilton now.
50/63 - Is today the day?!
Raikkonen comes out behind Russell, which puts the youngster on the fringes of the points. Of course, Russell is still attempting to claim his first championship point in F1. This is his 34th race...
47/63 - Raikkonen hoping for luck
Raikkonen is stretching this stint of the race as far as he can. The Alfa Romeo will have to stop before the end of the race, but he is currently goal-hanging in fourth in the hope there will be some sort of incident and he will get a free pit stop. He's playing the percentages.
46/63 - Perez strategy
The strategy from Perez has worked a dream. The Racing Point is in an excellent position to claim P4 after jumping six carcs with the overcut from starting on the medium compound tyres. This has been a very, very good drive from Perez.
43/63 - BOTTAS WIDE!
Verstappen is through! A mistake from Bottas forces him off into the gravel, he just about holds his track position through the turn, but Verstappen gets past the Mercedes and into P2. What was I saying about the two Mercedes being in control of this race?
42/63 - Mercedes on course
They only needed 11 points to claim the constructors' championship this weekend and Mercedes are on course to claim a one-two. 20 laps left of this race and the Silver Arrows are in control despite the damage to the floor of Bottas' car.
40/63 - Terrible pit stop!
Oh dear! Vettel had been doing a good job this afternoon and was in a good position to claim a point, but there was a problem with the pit stop and the German ends up sitting stationary for over 10 seconds. That's just not good enough from Ferrari. What on earth is going on with them this season?!
38/63 - Bottas damage
It's only now that Bottas is being told that the damage on the floor of his car is "pretty significant." Mercedes think it was picked up through debris from another car. Bad luck for the Finn just as his teamate is benefiting from good luck.
35/63 - As it stands...
1) Hamilton 2) Bottas 3) Verstappen 4) Vettel 5) Raikkonen 6) Perez 7) Ricciardo 8) Leclerc 9) Albon 10) Kvyat
31/63 - Virtual Safety Car!
The timing of that Virtual Safety Car was incredible for Hamilton. It was deployed just as he came into traffic. It was even on the right part of the track for the world champion. He's such a good driver, but you can't deny that sometimes things just fall into place for Hamilton. That was such good fortune.
30/63 - Ocon retires!
Ocon's race is over! The Renault has a clutch issue and he has to retire. His car is in the middle sector and there will be a Virtual Safety Car deployed here. What spectacular timing for Hamilton.
29/63 - Perez is strong!
A sub-plot that we have perhaps not noted until now is Perez's race. Magnussen did such a good job of holding up the likes of Ricciardo and Leclerc and the Racing Point has emerged from the pits in P7 and the Mexican is in a good position to finish as the best of the rest in fourth.
28/63 - P9 tussle!
Drama! Leclerc, Magnussen, Albon and Kvyat are all vying for track position heading around Turn 1, 2 and 3! Good driving from Leclerc as he takes P9 from Magnussen. Ricciardo could also get involved in this train.
26/63 - Strategy!
Hamilton has just been asked by Bono if he can extend this stint of the race by 10 (TEN) more laps. "I can definitely go longer" says Hamilton in response. We were expecting Hamilton to come in soon, but what is this... Plan C? Hamilton is now starting to lose some time as he comes into traffic.
25/63 - Hamilton stretching
"Just keep doing what you're doing" says Bono to Hamilton. The world champion has just pulled out another eight-tenths on Bottas on that last lap.
23/63 - Verstappen chasing
"We're just being held up here by Bottas," comes the message over the Red Bull team radio to Verstappen. Indeed, a real battle is developing between Bottas and Verstappen. But by going longer it appears Hamilton is taking control of this race. Has the strategy worked?
22/63 - Bottas damage
Problem for Bottas! The Finn has been told over the Mercedes team radio that he has damage on the floor. What does that mean for his race? Hamilton is attempting to extend this stint of his race as much as possible. He leads this race, but will have to stop at some point in the not so distant future.
20/63 - Bottas box, box!
Difference of strategy! So Mercedes have pulled in Bottas to shift him on to the hard compound tyres, but Hamilton's message over the team radio is an interesting one. "I'm going to pick up the pace, don't stop me." So is that a sign that he's going to attempt the overcut? Hmmm...
19/63 - Verstappen box, box!
Verstappen into the pits! The Red Bull is the first of the leaders to change his tyres, with Verstappen stopped for only two seconds. Red Bull are so good at that and they have their driver back out in P3 behind Hamilton.
17/63- Kvyat on the attack!
Kvyat attacks Albon! The AlphaTauri tried a move on the Red Bull heading into Turn 1, there was a light touch between the two cars, but no damage and no puncture. Albon cuts back across Kvyat to maintain track position.
15/63 - Albon behind Leclerc!
Albon comes out behind Leclerc! The pit stop hasn't worked for Red Bull as Leclerc claims the place from Albon after shifting on to the hard compound tyres. Leclerc then gets all over the back of Ricciardo and locks up, but gets away with it.
14/63 - Leclerc pitting!
This is interesting. Leclerc is into the pits after only 14 laps. So does that mean his tyres are degrading quicker than expected? Or are Ferrari attempting the undercut here? A lot of strategical thinking going on down the pit wall at the moment.
12/63 - Hamilton issue?
"Right front doesn't feel great," says Hamilton. Might Mercedes have to pull in Hamilton to stick him on a fresh set of tyres? It has to be said Verstappen has done a very good job of keeping the championship leader behind him.
11/63 - As things stand...
1) Bottas 2) Verstappen 3) Hamilton 4) Ricciardo 5) Leclerc 6) Albon 7) Kvyat 8) Sainz 9) Norris 10) Perez
10/63 - Verstappen running well
"We are quicker in all corners, just not on the straights," Verstappen is informed over the Red Bull team radio. That has been the problem for them this weekend. They just don't have the straightline speed of the Mercedes, but Verstappen is getting the absolute most out of the car. He is running in P2.
8/63 - Gasly problem!
"Terminal problem," the message has come over the AlphaTauri team radio and Gasly is going to have to retire from the race. That's such a shame for the Frenchman. He qualified fourth and was set for an excellent weekend, but a mechanical problem has cost him.
5/63 - Sainz past his teammate!
A good move from Sainz who moves past his McLaren teammate, Norris, and into P9. In other news, the stewards have confirmed they are looking at an incident between Magnussen and Vettel.
4/63 - Giovinazzi in P14!
He is renowned for his good starts off the grid and Giovinazzi has added to that reputation here. The Alfa Romeo is up into 14th place! A reminder that he started in P20. He's made up six places in just four laps. Pretty impressive. Just imagine how good he would be if he could qualify.
2/63 - Stroll into the pits
There are bits of Stroll's Racing Point at the side of the track. He is missing a front wing. He tangled with Ocon and that's how that happened. He's in the pit and is back out at the back of the pack.
1/63 - Lights out!
Great start from Verstappen! Hamilton has dropped down to P3! He actually got off the line well, but it was in the second phase where he lost track position to the Red Bull. We have yellow flags on the first lap as Magnussen spins. Ricciardo up to fourth ahead of Gasly too.
12:05 - Formation lap
The drivers embark on their formation lap around this Imola circuit. Keep in mind Mercedes can clinch the constructors' championship for real this weekend. Red Bull need to outscore the Silver Arrows by 34 points to deny them the title this weekend. Which, eh, seems unlikely.
12:00 - Anthem time
The drivers are on the track for the Italian national anthem and for F1's 'End Racism' campaign. As has been the case all season long, some drivers take the knee and others don't. Mixed messages again from F1. Not good enough.
11:55 - Mechanical issue!
This could be a problem for AlphaTauri. There are a lot of mechanics around Gasly's car on the grid. They are removing some of the panels on the cooling unit. Something's up. No panic in the AlphaTauri ranks just yet, but this isn't what they would have wanted with Gasly in such a good position on the grid.
11:50 - Points to prove
Albon is in P6, which isn't bad for the young Thai driver, but he still has a point to prove. 2020 hasn't been a great year for Albon. Gasly is in P4 today, which is notable. Of course, it was Albon who took Gasly's seat at Red Bull midway through last season.
11:45 - Russell in P13!
Yesterday was a good day for Russell who put his Williams in P13. That is up there with the likes of Ocon and Vettel, who obviously should be doing better, but still great to see the young Brit in such a strong position. Now, can he convert that into his first ever points finish?
11:40 - Bottas v Hamilton?
Hamilton showed some vulnerability in Saturday qualifying, admitting to a poor final lap which allowed Bottas to claim pole. But we have seen this film before. Bottas just hasn't been able to get the better of his Mercedes teammate on race day without the help of a time penalty or reliability issue. Is today the day we get a straight race between the two of them for the win?
11:35 - How they qualified
Full grid positions... 1) Valtteri Bottas 2) Lewis Hamilton 3) Max Verstappen 4) Pierre Gasly 5) Daniel Ricciardo 6) Alexander Albon 7) Charles Leclerc 8) Daniil Kvyat 9) Lando Norris 10) Carlos Sainz 11) Sergio Perez 12) Estaban Ocon 13) George Russell 14) Sebastian Vettel 15) Lance Stroll 16) Romain Grosjean 17) Kevin Magnussen 18) Kimi Raikkonen 19) Nicholas Latifi 20) Antonio Giovinazzi
11:30 - It's race day!
Good morning and welcome to Eurosport's LIVE coverage of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola! F1 is in one of the more glorious parts of the world this afternoon for a race at this famous old circuit. It's been a strange season, but the fact we are at Imola for a race is surely one of the perks.
Valtteri Bottas claimed pole in qualifying on Saturday with Lewis Hamilton locking out the front row for Mercedes. Max Verstappen gives the front three a familiar look in P3. Can anyone touch the Silver Arrows? The Dutchman has been the only one in the same race as them this season.
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