Max Verstappen takes easy Emilia Romagna Grand Prix win as Lewis Hamilton's woes worsen

• Verstappen takes comfortable win and cuts Leclerc's championship lead

• Leclerc crashes chasing Perez for second but makes his way back to sixth

• Sainz spins on first lap to make it a miserable weekend for Ferrari

This was not how it was meant to go. After their excellent start to the season, this was meant to be the weekend Ferrari confirmed their status as title favourites in front of their adoring tifosi, the weekend Charles Leclerc put his foot firmly to his rivals’ throats, the weekend he ended being held aloft in a sea of red flags.

There were certainly plenty of red flags raised on Sunday, just ones of the warning variety where Ferrari and Leclerc are concerned. A late spin by the Monegasque as he hunted down Sergio Perez in an effort to take second place off the Mexican was a worrying sign that he may still lack a bit of patience, or be susceptible to pressure.

Leclerc recovered to finish sixth after a quick change of front wing, but it was a costly error with Max Verstappen leading Perez home in what was Red Bull’s first one-two in nearly six years.

Leclerc’s mistake capped a miserable day for Ferrari’s bedraggled fans, who were drenched by rain before the race, then watched in horror as Carlos Sainz was sent spinning out of the race on the very first lap.

At least they are not Mercedes fans. Lewis Hamilton could only finish 13th, having started in the same position. It capped arguably the worst weekend of the seven-time world champion’s career and put Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in an awkward position. On Saturday, after his two drivers finished 13th and 11th in the sprint race, Wolff had described the weekend as a “humbling experience”. But this was another level of excruciating.

Hamilton was lapped by Verstappen with around a third of the race still to go. And while team-mate George Russell managed a brilliant fourth place, in a way that only made Hamilton’s result even more troubling. Wolff was accused by former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of massaging Hamilton’s ego in apologising to Hamilton at the finish, and calling the car “undriveable”. “That was smart but not quite the truth,” Rosberg said. “Let’s remember that Russell is in P4 with that same car so Lewis definitely has a big role to play in that poor result this weekend.” Ouch.

This race was not a classic, but it had its moments. After the first lap incident between Ricciardo and Sainz, which brought out a safety car, the chief point of interest concerned tyres. A heavy downpour a couple of hours before the race began had coated the track in water, meaning everyone started on intermediates. But with the racing line quickly drying, the teams were soon presented with a dilemma: Come in and switch to slicks. Or stay on the inters, given further rain was forecast about 20 minutes after lights out.

Verstappen, understandably given his position at the front of the race, was not up for taking any risks.

Hamilton, though, did not have nearly as much to lose. And there were many who felt the 37 year-old might have been a bit bolder with the timing of his stop. Hamilton was asked by his engineer about switching to slicks on lap 18 - at least that was when the radio message was played to viewers - but replied that it was “still too early”. It patently was not, as Daniel Ricciardo proved. The Australian, who definitely had nothing to lose following his first lap incident, was first man in on lap 17, and almost immediately began turning the timesheets purple.

Driver standings: Top eight

That was the cue for everyone else to dive in, and the pitlane was soon chock-a-block. Hamilton lost a couple of positions and never recovered, his misery complete when he was told to get out of Verstappen’s way on lap 41.

The Dutchman sailed serenely to the finish, completing a perfect weekend for him personally, one which saw him take pole, maximum points in the sprint race, maximum points in the main race, and the fastest lap bonus point. He also moved up to second in the championship, 27 points behind Leclerc. “Fantastic,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner of his team’s one-two. “It's one point off a maximum score over the whole weekend. One-three yesterday, one-two today and fastest lap. It was just the rebound that we needed after the disappointment of Australia.”

Horner added that he was grateful for Leclerc’s late rush of blood to the head, which handed third place to McLaren’s Lando Norris instead. “It just looked like he [Leclerc] got a little bit too greedy on that soft tyre,” Horner observed.

Leclerc did not deny it. “I gave it all but went over the limit at the end,” he admitted later on Twitter. “Sorry to the team and to all the tifosi that supports us. Instead of a P3, it ended up in a P6. We’ll come back stronger.” No doubt he will, but this was a harsh lesson

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as it happened

03:24 PM

That's it from me today

If you refresh your page you should have Tom Cary's report. Stay tuned for more reaction and analysis from the weekend over the next couple of days. Thanks for joining me.

03:23 PM

Further apologies for results confusion

Hamilton did not get past Gasly but moved up to 13th after Ocon's five-second penalty was applied.

03:22 PM

Hamilton speaks to Sky Sports F1

A weekend to forget, that's for sure. I am out of the championship, for sure. There's no question about that. I'll still keep working as hard as I can to somehow try and pull it back together.

03:14 PM

It's all very well Wolff apologising to Hamilton

But Russell had the same car and finished fourth. And he did that without the wing adjustment that he needed at the pit stop. Yes, Hamilton didn't have clean air and get into a DRS train and he had bad luck at the pit stop, too. But he was off Russell's pace all weekend and the driver has to take some of the blame for that.

03:09 PM

Watch: Wolff apologises to Hamilton for the car they've given him

🗣️"I know this is undrivable"
🗣️"This was a terrible race"

Toto Wolff with a very honest radio message to Lewis Hamilton following a difficult Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for Mercedes driver 👇 pic.twitter.com/2Qp4TYZ74R

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 24, 2022

03:08 PM

Images that sum up Ferrari's weekend

Not what the Tifosi would have wanted. Pretty disastrous, all in all. They started second and fourth and ended up with barely a handful of points.

03:02 PM

Toto Wolff speaks to Sky Sports

"George really drove well considering the car he had beneath. He had a car that was set up for the wet and not the dry. "

On Hamilton:

"Really bad, he got squeeze by the Alpine, the other two cars under cut and there's just no overtaking in the DRS train. We are not good enough for a world champion, we just need to fix the car. "

"I think we are going to look at things for Miami. I think we can make a step in the understanding of the car. "

02:57 PM

Watch: The moment Leclerc put it into the barriers

"It's all gone horribly wrong for Ferrari!"

Charles Leclerc spins into the barrier but manages to keep the car going and Lando Norris is up into the podium places! 😮 pic.twitter.com/2HzI5ukoLM

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 24, 2022

02:52 PM

Norris speaks after his sixth career podium

It's all looking a lot better for McLaren after a difficult first race in Bahrain. Could have been more but for another tough day for Daniel Ricciardo, who never recovered after that collision with Sainz.

02:50 PM

Verstappen reacts to his second victory of the season

MAX: "We were on it. As a team we did everything well. I think this 1-2 is deserved"#ImolaGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/V7OAGxZoTQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 24, 2022

02:49 PM

Not the greatest race I've ever seen

But it had a sting in the tail, at least for Ferrari. Leclerc apologises on the radio for his mistake but it's a big one. He still has a healthy lead but it's diminished quite significantly since Friday.

02:48 PM

Ferrari's enormous lead cut to just 11 points...

Difficult weekend for Alpine. Good weekend for Aston Martin, who gets some points on the board with both men in the top 10 and move above Williams in the standings.

02:45 PM

Updated constructor standings

02:42 PM

Updated driver standings - Top 10

That means Verstappen cuts Leclerc's lead to 27 points. Good work. Ignore the bit where it says three wins for Verstappen. That is including the sprint race yesterday. It's two apiece.

02:38 PM

EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX - CLASSIFICATION

1. VER
2. PER
3. NOR
4. RUS
5. BOT
6. LEC
7. TSU
8. VET
9. MAG
10. STR
11. ALB
12. HAM
13. GAS
14. OCO
15. ZHO
16. LAT
17. MSC
18. RIC

DNF: ALO, SAI

02:37 PM

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE 2022 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX

The perfect weekend for Verstappen and a perfect weekend for Red Bull. They have made ground - in a big way - in the drivers' standings and in the constructors'.

Norris in an excellent third for McLaren and Russell does hold onto fourth ahead of Bottas.

Hamilton finishes 13th...

02:36 PM

FINAL LAP

Don't think it's enough for Bottas, though he will have another go.

Verstappen now cruising to the win...

02:35 PM

Lap 62 of 63 - Leclerc does get sixth

Could have been so much better... could have been so much worse.

Can he take the fastest lap point off Verstappen? Bottas a little closer towards the end of the lap?

02:34 PM

Lap 61 of 63 - Verstappen leads by 13.7s

I think Russell might have this fourth spot nailed on now. Unless Bottas is saving his battery charge. Leclerc looking likely to get Tsunoda in sixth soon. He's within a second.

02:33 PM

Lap 60 of 63 - Top 10

1. VER
2. PER
3. NOR
4. RUS
5. BOT
6. TSU
7. LEC
8. VET
9. MAG
10. STR

Albon doing a fine job in 12th. Still Bottas can't get through. And neither can Hamilton.

02:31 PM

Lap 59 of 63 - Can Bottas get Russell this time?

Nope. I do fear for him, though.

Leclerc gets Vettel on the pit straight as he tries to reclaim some of those lost points. He's lucky that he managed to keep it going. Damage limitation when he was in third. Even more so a case of it now.

Bottas is a little further away from Russell this time around. And he keeps the spot. Both men have driven superbly today.

02:30 PM

Lap 58 of 63 - Verstappen leads Perez by 13.5s

Not much interest in that at the moment. Verstappen does, of course, have the fastest lap point. Leclerc is closing in on Vettel. He's within 1.4s now of his former team-mate.

Perez told there might be a few spots of light rain at turn seven. Nothing to worry about, though.

02:28 PM

Lap 57 of 63 - All eyes on the Bottas/Russell fight

Russell ahead. These two came together in dramatic fashion last year...

He's been driving superbly all season. Hamilton is still in 14th. He will know every millimetre of the back of the AlphaTauri's rear wing by now. It'll be burned onto his retinas.

02:27 PM

Lap 56 of 63 - "It doesn't feel great," says Leclerc

He's trying to get past Magnussen here. He manages to do it on the straight and is up into P8.

Bottas almost within DRS range of Russell. Norris on the podium.

02:26 PM

Lap 55 of 63 - Top 10

1. VER
2. PER
3. NOR
4. RUS
5. BOT
6. TSU
7. VET
8. MAG
9. LEC
10. STR

02:25 PM

Lap 54 of 63 - That was just too much from Leclerc

He is going to lose loads of points to Verstappen here. He was far too aggressive at the chicane at the top of the track. He has been guilty of over-driving in his career and he has done the same here. And how costly is it going to be...

He's down in ninth now but could make up a few spots by the end of the race.

02:24 PM

Lap 53 of 63 - Bottas pressuring Russell now

He's within two seconds of the man who took his seat and is still lapping comfortably quicker.

LECLERC HAS SPUN AT THE VARIANTE ALTA! IT'S IN THE WALL! HE WAS CHASING PEREZ AND WENT SIDEWAYS INTO THE WALL! HE MANAGES TO GET IT GOING.

CAN HE CARRY ON? HE COMES INTO THE PITS. HE COULDN'T TURN LEFT PROPERLY. WHAT A MISTAKE!

In he comes into the pits...

He's going to lose a few spots here. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

He's down in eighth!

02:21 PM

Lap 52 of 63 - Leclerc is right on the back of Perez now

He says that he thinks he should have stopped for mediums. Too late now. But it's made the end of the race a little interesting. He currently has the fastest lap point, taking it off Verstappen. Think Verstappen will hold most of his battery charge for the final couple of laps though.

02:20 PM

Lap 51 of 63 - Verstappen comes in too

Only a slow stop denies him victory here. And it would have to be catastrophically slow. Thankfully, it is not. So, which of the top three drivers will get the fastest lap point...

This all at least means Hamilton has managed to unlap himself...

02:19 PM

Lap 50 of 63 - Leclerc comes out behind Norris, just

Should be easy meat in the next couple of laps. Out come Red Bull for Sergio Perez to try and do the same to cover the fastest lap point. I mean, that gives Verstappen enough of a gap to try the same. Which he surely will.

02:17 PM

Lap 49 of 63 - Hamilton just doesn't have the confidence under braking to try a move

Perez is coming up to lap Hamilton and co. That might give Leclerc a chance at closing the gap a little. Bottas is now within four seconds of Russell in fifth and is maintaining that 0.5-0.7s advantage per lap over him.

In comes Leclerc! Fastest lap point attempt I guess. He might come out behind Norris. He is onto the soft tyres.

02:15 PM

Lap 48 of 63 - Tsunoda into eight after getting past Magnussen

Good afternoon from the Japanese driver. He had a miserable weekend here last year.

02:13 PM

Lap 47 of 63 - Dark clouds emerging towards Tosa

That is normally where the weather comes from. Or often it is. There's still enough time for the rain to play a part here... just about. I wouldn't hold your breath, though.

02:12 PM

Lap 46 of 63 - Top 10

1. VER
2. PER
3. LEC
4. NOR
5. RUS
6. BOT
7. VET
8. MAG
9. TSU
10. STR

Hamilton in 14th.

02:12 PM

Lap 45 of 63 - Think Leclerc is just going to settle for third here

Probably lacking the pace to displace Perez or even fight him. With the advantage he had in the standings, it's nothing to get too disheartened about.

02:10 PM

Lap 44 of 63 - Hamilton has another look at Gasly...

But he still can't do anything about it at either of the first two chicanes...

02:10 PM

Lap 43 of 63 - Leclerc dropping further back from Perez

Red Bull looking the quicker car in these conditions. Wonder if they might try something strategically. Doesn't seem so, he's told to stay out until the end.

Some kind of cog, bracket or bearing appears to have come out of the bottom/back of Latifi's Williams.

02:09 PM

Lap 42 of 63 - Bottas is lapping a fair bit quicker than Russell

He has enough laps to make up the 7.4s, going by his current pace.

02:07 PM

Lap 41 of 63 - Hamilton still cannot make a move on Gasly

What a miserable afternoon. Magnussen and Tsunoda are closing in on Vettel. Not much really to report further up the field, unfortunately.

02:05 PM

Lap 40 of 63 - "We have blue flags for Verstappen," Hamilton is told

He lets him through on the pit straight. Ouch, I think is the word. Painful. Russell doing a more-than half-decent job in the sister car, though and on for 10 points. Hamilton might struggle to make points but it's not out of the question yet.

02:04 PM

Lap 39 of 63 - Verstappen's lead has stretched to 12 seconds

Easy race for him, really.

02:02 PM

Lap 38 of 63 - Verstappen now closing up on Hamilton

Something we said a lot last year. But this time it's not for position but to lap the struggling Mercedes.

Going to say that of the three recent grands prix at this track, this is heading to be comfortably the worst.

02:01 PM

Lap 37 of 63 - Full order

1. VER
2. PER
3. LEC
4. NOR
5. RUS
6. BOT
7. VET
8. MAG
9. TSU
10. STR
11. OCO
12. ALB
13. GAS
14. HAM
15. LAT
16. ZHO
17. MSC
18. RIC

OUT: ALO, SAI

02:00 PM

Lap 36 of 63 - Verstappen leads Perez by 11s

Leclerc has dropped back to more than two seconds behind the second Red Bull.

01:58 PM

Lap 35 of 63 - Still 28 laps or so to go, though

With DRS enabled, can Hamilton make his way past Gasly? Not this lap.

01:57 PM

Lap 34 of 63 - Not a great race, this

Could do with another downpour. Very much status quo and the problem with this type of race is that you don't see any divergent strategies.

01:57 PM

Lap 33 of 63 - DRS has been enabled

Finally!

That will help Hamilton. And a few others.

01:56 PM

Lap 32 of 63 - Hamilton frustrated by Gasly

He's looking and looking. He's faster than Gasly but cannot find a way past the AlphaTauri.

01:54 PM

Lap 32 of 63 - Ricciardo stops again

And he goes onto the hard tyres. Maybe hoping the others have to change tyres towards the end of the race after losing pace. Don't know though. Points look unlikely from there.

Verstappen sets the new fastest lap of the race. He's not too far off lapping Hamilton here. Maybe another six or seven laps.

01:53 PM

Lap 31 of 63 - Hamilton still down in 14th, by the way

Good afternoon for Aston Martin. Two cars in the points.

01:51 PM

Lap 30 of 63 - Top 10 and gaps to leader

1. VER
2. PER +9.4
3. LEC +10.9
4. NOR +25.2
5. RUS +31.4
6. BOT +43.4
7. VET +50.8
8. MAG +55.0
9. TSU +58.7
10. STR +60.9

01:50 PM

Lap 29 of 63 - Can Leclerc get Perez?

He gets the tow on the pit straight after the error but he's just too far behind. Had DRS been activated it would have been much easier. Maybe even certain.

01:49 PM

Lap 28 of 63 - Verstappen leads Perez

Perez goes straight over the chicane at the top of the track... will this give Leclerc a chance on the pit straight?

01:49 PM

Lap 27 of 63 - Still no DRS

That is a baffling decision by race control. The track is dry! Everyone is on slick tyres!

Verstappen leads Perez by 6.9s. Perez leads Leclerc by 1.4s. Norris in a creditable fourth, but nearly 15 seconds off Leclerc.

01:47 PM

Lap 26 of 63 - A battle royale emerging for ninth place

Tsunoda, Stroll, Ocon, Albon, Gasly and Hamilton all there. Ricciardo within a second of Hamilton now. Could the seven-time champion's afternoon get worse?

01:45 PM

Lap 25 of 63 - Perez sets the fastest lap of the race

He has pulled out to 1.4s away from Leclerc. He's keeping around seven seconds away from Verstappen. Schumacher has a spin. Miserable race day for him after starting 10th. He's dead last on the road now.

Hamilton still 14th, closing in on Gasly. Quite the contrast with Russell so far this weekend.

01:44 PM

Lap 24 of 63 - Perez has reacted to Leclerc being on the back of him

He's pulled away a little. Russell told he didn't get the flap adjust he wanted at the pit stop. He's still fifth and pulling away from Bottas.

No sign of that rain yet.

01:42 PM

Lap 23 of 63 - Leclerc very close to Perez for second

All over the back of him in the final sector but he isn't able to think of a move let alone make one into the first chicane. DRS has not been activated yet, which is an odd decision from race control given everyone is on slicks.

Ocon gets a five-second time penalty for that incident in the pit lane.

01:40 PM

Lap 22 of 63 - Top 10 and gaps to leader

1. VER
2. PER +7.4
3. LEC +8.2
4. NOR +19.1
5. RUS+24.9
6. BOT +36.5
7. VET +37.9
8. MAG +42.8
9. TSU +47.3
10. STR +48.0

01:39 PM

Lap 21 of 63 - Hamilton loses a place to Albon

Mercedes really struggling with tyre warm-up. Bottas is still in sixth but lost about seven or eight seconds with a slow stop.

Verstappen leads Perez by seven seconds. Leclerc a further 1.5s or so behind him.

Hamilton has just set the fastest lap of the race.

01:38 PM

Lap 20 of 63 - The pit lane is very busy now

It's not a quick stop for Hamilton. Have Ocon and Hamilton hit each other coming out the pits? Hamilton has lost a position on the Alpine driver. Pierre Gasly has also undercut him.

Verstappen comes into the pits... will he retain the lead? Leclerc into the pits. This is pretty chaotic.

Verstappen easily ahead of him. Perez is behind Leclerc but he now has might warmer tyres and takes the spot at the Villeneuve chicane. I thought the dry tyres would have worked much better there but stopping earlier than Verstappen actually cost him time, strangely. Wonder if it was a slow stop or if he ran wide.

I think Ocon will be done for an unsafe release, looking at the replay of that incident in the pit lane.

01:34 PM

Lap 19 of 63 - Verstappen leads Perez by 6.9s

Leclerc is within a second of Perez. Hamilton says it's too wet for slicks.

What's Ricciardo's middle sector time? It's two seconds quicker than those directly ahead of him and about 1.5s ahead of the leaders. Surely everyone in now? Red Bull can double stack if they need to.

Perez comes in... Verstappen stays out. He won't be quick enough to undercut Verstappen. It might be tight though.

01:32 PM

Lap 18 of 63 - It's getting tight in the battle for ninth

Tsunoda has Stroll right behind him and Hamilton isn't too far off the back of the Aston Martin, either.

Ricciardo into the pits and changes for slicks. Mediums. Had to. He had to. He was last on the track. Let's keep an eye on his sector times. That rain hasn't yet fallen.

01:31 PM

Lap 17 of 63 - Current top 15

1. VER
2. PER
3. LEC
4. NOR
5. RUS
6. BOT
7. MAG
8. VET
9. TSU
10. STR
11. HAM
12. OCO
13. GAS
14. ALB
15. LAT

01:30 PM

Lap 15 of 63 - Leclerc now nearly within DRS range of Perez

But he can't use DRS in these conditions. Bottas has better pace than Russell currently. Russell would have taken a lot of life out of his tyre in that battle with Magnussen. Won't be long before he's on the back of him.

01:29 PM

Lap 14 of 63 - Verstappen says he's sliding more

Hamilton close to Stroll still. But not close enough to make a move.

01:27 PM

Lap 13 of 63 - Verstappen leads Perez by 5.8s

Leclerc now within two seconds of Perez. Surely someone is coming in for slicks soon?

Bottas gets Magnussen on the inside into the first Rivazza. Nice move, he's into sixth. Driving superbly. Hamilton on the back of Stroll in the fight for 10th but he's been behind him a few laps now.

01:25 PM

Lap 12 of 63 - Surprised nobody at the back has gambled on slicks

That is perhaps how certain the teams are that rain is imminent.

Can Russell get Magnussen this time at the first chicane? Yes he can! But it doesn't last as he runs wide on the exit and Magnussen takes the place back straight away... and up comes Bottas right behind him. Russell really having to fight for this.

Leclerc not making amazing inroads into Perez ahead.

Russell gets Magnussen into Variante Alta! Bold move but it worked! Fifth for him now. Can Magnussen come back with DRS? Maybe... but he has Bottas right behind him.

01:23 PM

Lap 11 of 63 - Can Russell get Magnussen at the first chicane?

No! Not quite. He was almost alongside him but just ran out of space and time . He's all over the back of him at turn seven, though.

Rain in the next 10 laps, they say... will the intermediates last that long?

01:22 PM

Lap 10 of 63 - Top 10 and gaps to leader

1. VER
2. PER +3.7
3. LEC +6.5
4. NOR+9.8
5. MAG +12.9
6. RUS +13.5
7. BOT +16.1
8. VET +18.8
9. TSU +21.4
10. STR +22.4

01:20 PM

Lap 9 of 63 - Leclerc puts in the quickest first sector

He's closing in on Perez. It was Mick Schumacher who hit Alonso's sidepod on the first lap as the Haas driver spun. He's down in 16th currently. Not the best start.

01:18 PM

Lap 8 of 63 - Leclerc gets Norris for third!

He does it under braking and will now set about Sergio Perez. He's nearly seven seconds off Verstappen. Magnussen doing a fine job of keeping Russell behind him in sixth.

01:17 PM

Lap 7 of 63 - Verstappen leads Perez by 3.1s

Leclerc is closing in on Norris. Nobody has been brave enough for slicks just yet.

01:16 PM

Lap 6 of 63 - Alonso has a huge hole in his sidepod

Lewis Hamilton makes easy work of him on the straight and moves into 11th. Not sure if there was an incident but it was cracked as Hamilton approached. And then it flew off just before turn one. That is likely going to be the end of his race. Not much luck for him this season.

01:15 PM

Lap 5 of 63 - Race restarts

Verstappen keeps his lead, comfortably as they maintain status quo. Norris still third. Norris will be coming under pressure from Leclerc soon.

01:13 PM

Lap 4 of 63 - SC in this lap

Six of one and half a dozen with the first-lap incident? Ricciardo just touched the kerb and slid towards Sainz's Ferrari and that was that.

Vettel is told rain might come within the next 20 minutes. Can't see Perez challenging Verstappen at the restart here...

01:10 PM

Lap 3 of 63 - Top 10

1. VER
2. PER
3. NOR
4. LEC
5. MAG
6. RUS
7. BOT
8. ALO
9. VET
10. TSU

Verstappen says it's too risky for slicks now. He's right, but he is the leader. Wonder if Someone like Gasly, Albon or Latifi might think about it. You'd save time doing it under the SC. But could be the wrong move... and it could start raining again soon.

01:09 PM

Lap 2 of 62 - Verstappen leads Perez and Norris

Magnussen up into fifth and Russell making a lot of progress too, up into sixth. Hamilton has made up a couple of places. Ricciardo down into 19th after that incident with Sainz.

Bottas's front wing also took a knock in that incident. The marshals have the crane out and are removing the stricken Ferrari. In comes Ricciardo for a change of tyres. And wing?

01:06 PM

THE 2022 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX IS GO!

It's a perfect start for Red Bull as Perez passes Leclerc for second place at the start... Leclerc slips back behind Norris even!

Ferrari's afternoon gets worse as Carlos Sainz is spun around at the second chicane and he's beached into the gravel... that will be yellow flags and the end of his race. What a miserable couple of weeks. I think he was tagged by Ricciardo. Not sure whose fault it was.

Perez was into second within 50 metres of the start.

Out comes the Safety Car.

01:02 PM

Gasly's radio: "We expect more rain in 20-25 minutes"

So, just about when some drivers will be thinking of switching to dry tyres, then. Tasty.

01:01 PM

The formation lap is go

Yep, it's still pretty damp.

12:57 PM

Starting tyre types

No surprise to see everyone on the intermediates. I am guessing that by lap nine someone will have gone to slicks.

12:54 PM

Just about 10 minutes until lights out

Predictions? Who knows? I think, if the rain doesn't come again, it won't be long before the slicks are out. FIA's risk of rain for the race is 60 per cent. It is just when it falls and how heavy it is.

12:51 PM

What a sight

Mick Schumacher starts 10th today. Can he bring home the first points of his F1 career?

12:49 PM

Verstappen also speaks to Sky Sports before the race

What happens with the weather is the same for everyone. It's really tricky conditions and you need to feel the grip on the track and you need to stay on the track. Like last year, to make all the right calls was very difficult and it will be the same again today.

12:43 PM

Christian Horner speaks to Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz

"On a day like today there's an awful lot of risk. It looks like it'll dry up quite quickly but there's another band of rain coming. "

On Verstappen's poor sprint start:

"He picked up a bit of wheelspin and once you break the traction on the tyres sometimes you lose synchronisation of the shift. Hopefully he'll have a better start today. "

12:41 PM

STARTING GRID

1. VER 2. LEC
3. PER 4. SAI
5. NOR 6. RIC
7. BOT 8. MAG
9. ALO 10. MSC
11. RUS 12. TSU
13. VET 14 HAM
15. STR 16. OCO
17. GAS 18. ALB
19. LAT

PIT LANE: ZHO

12:38 PM

Hamilton's problems were just a quirk of the 'laps to grid' issue

Probably the battery recharging, which would be giving him those power drop outs. No concern over it at Mercedes.

Just over 20 minutes to go. We'll have the starting grid with you shortly.

12:36 PM

Current raw pace ranking after four rounds

Mercedes now in fourth behind Alpine by this metric.

12:33 PM

Watch: Hamilton has his moment on the way to the grid

The conditions are looking very tricky out there as Lewis Hamilton has an off-moment in his Mercedes! 🌧️ pic.twitter.com/CvQxQfDKL1

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 24, 2022

12:30 PM

Leclerc has gone back out on the intermediates

Looks fine, really. Though they are not exactly at racing speed and, it being the start, there will be some inevitable off-line action.

Hamilton says his engine isn't running smoothly at the moment. There is already a dry-ish line appearing. I can't see anything but an intermediate start as it stands. Normally when a car is on the wrong tyres it becomes obvious straight away. It doesn't seem to be anything close to that on the reconnaissance laps.

12:25 PM

The pit lane is open...

Which means cars are on the track. Could well be quite a few laps to the grid. All drivers so far on full wet tyres. Doesn't look awfully wet out there, though I wouldn't risk intermediates just yet. Although one AlphaTauri and one Alpine has done exactly that. It's Alonso.

Can't see anything but a standing start in these conditions. A few puddles out there at the start of the track. Alonso doesn't look to be struggling at all on the intermediates so far. Good thing about the intermediates on a slowly drying track is that the tread wears then you end up on semi-slicks.

Lewis Hamilton has had a bit of an excursion off track, though just into the sponsorship run-off area.

12:22 PM

Average qualifying positions so far in 2022

Yes, Mercedes have been poor but Hamilton being behind Magnussen, Bottas and Norris after four rounds says a lot.

12:17 PM

Current constructor standings

Looks a long way back for Mercedes. Can't see them relinquishing third (or indeed getting any better than that), given that there is no clear rival, but McLaren are looking stronger again after their much-improved weekend in Australia.

12:12 PM

Another brief weather update

It's looking a little better.

Well, 'better' depending on your viewpoint. It has stopped raining. Can't see it being anything but a start on intermediates or full wets, though. Maybe a mixture. That may change once 20 drivers get to driving on it, dispersing the water and creating a dry line.

12:08 PM

Always worth remembering Ayrton Senna every time we come to Imola

And it's also always worth revisiting Oliver Brown's excellent piece on that tragic day 28 years ago.

You can read the full thing here: Ayrton Senna: The inside story of the Formula One legend's death at Imola

12:01 PM

Not sure the rain helps Mercedes much, does it?

We had a pretty wet day on Friday and that is where they struggled. They were miles off the pace. You can't rule anything out but this has been another chastening weekend for them.

11:57 AM

Current driver standings - Top 12

11:48 AM

This was Leclerc vs Verstappen yesterday

We will see the same in the wet today?

The prospect is tantalising. Who knows in these conditions, though. Could we have someone come from down the field to win? It's happened a few times in the last couple of years with Gasly, Ocon, Perez and Ricciardo all taking wins for teams outside of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.

11:44 AM

They had tractors out trying to dry the track at Imola

Really, really hope we don't have a repeat of Spa 2021. I don't think we will, judging by the forecast.

11:35 AM

It is currently 100 per cent raining at Imola

Forecast shows that it could - and is perhaps likely to - stop raining before the race starts. But, given the temperatures, it's likely to be a wet start. Hopefully not behind the safety car, mind you.

11:06 AM

Good afternoon F1 fans

And welcome to our coverage for the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from Imola. It's the third time in a little under 18 months that we've had a race at this track and I, for one, am pleased about it. There were questions over how good the overtaking and racing would be on this tight and twisty track but the two grands prix we've had here recently have not been too bad at all.

Yesterday's 21-lap sprint race wasn't too bad, either, as it happens. There was plenty of action up and down the field with Max Verstappen emerging triumphant with a penultimate lap overtake of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Verstappen, who started on pole, had an awful getaway when the lights went out but then spent the next 18 or so laps reeling in his rival before launching his overtake.

For that he gets eight championship points, though that barely takes a bite out of Leclerc's lead in the standings, as he picked up seven for his second place. Still, it's a step in the right direction and shows that the Red Bull has decent pace around Imola. Will it have the reliability, though? That has been the main issue so far.

Other notable performances: Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez making their way through the top 10 to finish fourth and third respectively after difficult qualifying sessions. Kevin Magnussen did well to hold onto eighth after starting fourth, picking up another point for Haas. It shows how far they have come since last year that they will be disappointed with that.

Mercedes, meanwhile, made no ground at all. Lewis Hamilton dropped back a position to 14th and Russell ended up 11th. Their problems continue and it was no surprise to see Hamilton writing off any hopes of a championship battle in 2022.

What can we expect from today's race? Well, it could be an interesting one, with rain falling in the immediate hours before the race and some more showers possible throughout the afternoon. The Porsche Supercup race had to start behind the Safety Car and the temperature isn't too hot at the moment, so it could well be a wet start. Or a wet race entirely. It's hard to tell, but whatever the conditions I think it'll be an interesting race again at Imola.

The race begins at 2pm BST - assuming no delays - and we will be here for all of it.