Emilia Romagna Grand Prix suspended after Bottas and Russell crash: F1 – live!

10.56am EDT 10:56

Lap 54: Ten laps to go and Hamilton with DRS hunts down Leclarc, steaming around the outside into third. And only a second behind second (ie Norris). Ocon and Alonso are stuck with DRS behind Raikkonen in ninth.

10.53am EDT 10:53

Lap 52: This is set to be an absolute rout for Verstappen, who now leads by 15secs. Hamilton closes on Leclerc, who covers the inside leaving a frustrated Hamilton slotting back in in fourth.

10.51am EDT 10:51

Lap 51: “I’m getting vibrations, I don’t know where from,” yelps Norris. Can he cling on to second?

10.49am EDT 10:49

Lap 49: Hamilton attacks Sainz, who holds him off. But he goes again a minute or so later, and this time gets there, to claim fourth place. Second suddenly looks more than doable for him. “Happy with that Lewis, let’s get after it mate,” he’s told.

10.46am EDT 10:46

Lap 47: Perez, back in 13th, is in the hunts for points – Vettel, Alonso and Ocon are all in his sights. And with Verstappen now leading by 10secs, the battle for second looks the one to watch: Leclerc hunting down Norris for second with Sainz and Hamilton looming behind. Three seconds separating the four.

Updated at 10.48am EDT

10.42am EDT 10:42

Lap 44: Verstappen is way ahead, 6.9secs ahead of Norris – who is on soft tyres and only 6secs ahead of Hamilton in fifth. Can he get there…?

10.40am EDT 10:40

Lap 42: Hamilton picks off Ricciardo for fifth and sets a new fastest lap. Giovinazzi is back on track but will do well to get a point now.

10.38am EDT 10:38

Lap 40: Verstappen reclaims fastest lap. Giovinazzi pits with a brake problem.

10.36am EDT 10:36

Lap 38: Hamilton quickly outdoes Verstappen for fastest lap. A wonderful afternoon for Sainz as it stands, who has clawed his way into fourth from P11

10.35am EDT 10:35

Lap 37: Verstappen sets a new fastest lap last time, no DRS at the moment. And now Perez, in fourth, has hit the gravel! He rejoins in 15th, behind Schumacher. No damage. Leclerc in third, Sainz fourth, Ricciardo fifth, and Hamilton has zoomed past Stroll into sixth.

10.31am EDT 10:31

Lap 36: Verstappen pulls 1.5sec clear of Norris. Hamilton, back in eighth, looks to reel in Stroll but an unremarkable restart leaves him a second behind.

10.30am EDT 10:30

Lap 35: And we’re back underway – after Verstappen almost spun himself out of the race before it restarted! – and Norris scoots past Leclerc for second place at turn one. Tsunoda spins off but just about salvages it and regains control.

Norris of Great Britain overtakes Charles Leclerc Photograph: Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1/Getty Images

Updated at 10.47am EDT

10.27am EDT 10:27

How they stand

1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull2 Charles LECLERC Ferrari3 Lando NORRIS McLaren4 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing5 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari6 Daniel RICCIARDO McLaren7 Lance STROLL Aston Martin8 Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN Alfa Romeo Racing9 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes10 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri11 Antonio GIOVINAZZI Alfa Romeo Racing12 Fernando ALONSO Alpine13 Esteban OCON Alpine14 Pierre GASLY AlphaTauri15 Sebastian VETTEL Aston Martin16 Mick SCHUMACHER Haas17 Nikita MAZEPIN Haas18 Valtteri BOTTAS Mercedes–19 George RUSSELL Williams–20 Nicholas LATIFI Williams–

And it will be a rolling restart

10.23am EDT 10:23

Damon Hill gives his verdict on the Bottas-Russell crash: “Valtteri did move a little bit but the problem for George was he moved onto a damp bit [of grass], he was flat out, it broke traction and it took him into Valtteri’s car. These things happen when it’s slippery and wet like that.”

George Russell and Valtteri Bottas collide Photograph: Sky Sports Russell appears to slap Bottas on his helmet Photograph: Sky Sports

Updated at 10.35am EDT

10.19am EDT 10:19

Seven minutes before the race resumes – with lapped cars allowed to ‘unlap’ themselves from a standing start.

10.13am EDT 10:13

Not sure if Russell’s four-letter fury at Bottas is justified. He tried to overtake the Finn, who defended on the inside, before losing control when he went outside.

10.04am EDT 10:04

What a few minutes. Disaster for Hamilton, who was stuck in the gravel pit. After some back back and forth and forth, he escaped and is down in 9th. A flawless Verstappen leads Leclerc and Norris, Perez fourth and Sainz fifth. Now the race is suspended while debris are cleared from the track.

The track is cleared as the race is red flagged Photograph: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters Lewis Hamilton looks on in the Pit lane Photograph: Peter Fox/Getty Images

Updated at 10.19am EDT

9.59am EDT 09:59

Lap 31: Big crash: Bottas and Russell. Debris everywhere but they are both OK. Russell is fuming at Bottas, who he was trying to overtake when they collided. “WHAT THE EFF WAS HE DOING? HONESTLY?” he bellows into his radio. Red flag.

9.55am EDT 09:55

Lap 31: Hamilton into the gravel! He slip into the gravel trap trying to overtake Verstappen. A huge mistake – he’s crunched his front wing against the wall. He reverses out, lorry-driver style, and re-enters the race in sixth. That’s his chances of winning gone!

9.53am EDT 09:53

Lap 30: Perez also pits, serves his penalty and changes his steering wheel. Hamilton won’t be happy with that sluggish pit stop.

9.51am EDT 09:51

Lap 29: But the Mercedes pit stop is 2 seconds slower than Red Bull’s! And Verstappen holds the lead, 2.5secs ahead of Hamilton. A game of inches.

9.50am EDT 09:50

Lap 28: Verstappen heads into the pits for some dry weather tyres and Hamilton responds with a fastest first sector of the race, then heads into the pits 28.5secs ahead of Verstappen. Game on.

Verstappen makes a pitstop Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Updated at 9.57am EDT

9.48am EDT 09:48

Lap 27: Sainz races past Riccardo on the outside into sixth. Tsunoda is next to pit for new tyres – but no one else so far…

9.46am EDT 09:46

Lap 25: An obdurate Hamilton has closed the gap at the front to 2.5secs.

A picture of Ayrton Senna is seen in the stands Photograph: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters

Updated at 9.49am EDT

9.44am EDT 09:44

Lap 24: A frustrated Vettel serves his penalty, rejoining the track 3 seconds off in the first sector.

9.41am EDT 09:41

Lap 22: Vettel comes out on a set of slick tyres, the first driver to do so. But he’ll also have to deal with a 10-second stop and go penalty! His wheels weren’t fitted at the five-minute signal before the race.

9.39am EDT 09:39

Lap 21: George Russell, who has never got a point for Williams, is now 10th. Hamilton and Verstappen have pulled away into a class of their own and have just lapped Fernando Alonso in 16th.

9.37am EDT 09:37

Lap 19: Norris is told that his team “don’t want to be the first car onto dries”. He is five seconds ahead of Ricciardo and closing in on Perez.

9.34am EDT 09:34

Lap 17: “I have a lot more pace that I cannot use at the moment,” moans Norris, who is stuck behind teammate Ricciardo. The latter is promptly told to get out of the way.

Ricciardo is asked by McLaren F1 Team to allow Norris to overtake Photograph: Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1/Getty Images

Updated at 9.43am EDT

9.32am EDT 09:32

“I can’t tell if this weather favours Max or Lewis,” writes Edwin Innih Imoesi. “This is intense. Bad luck for Sergio.”

9.31am EDT 09:31

Lap 15: Mick Schumacher is now 18th, with a replacement wing. Gasly pits to get some intermediates fitted.

9.29am EDT 09:29

Lap 14: Gasly’s full wets are proving horribly costly. He is 14th having started fifth.

Updated at 9.30am EDT

9.27am EDT 09:27

Lap 13: Perez, currently fourth, has been given a stop-and-go penalty of 10 seconds for overtaking two cars under the safety car. That will cost him dear – he will have to stop in the pits for the full 10 seconds.

Sergio Perez passes the Red Bull Racing pitwall Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Updated at 9.52am EDT

9.26am EDT 09:26

Lap 11: More squabbling between the trio in midfield as Norris and Sainz both inch past Gasly. And more rain arrives.

9.23am EDT 09:23

Lap 10: The leader clocks up his fastest lap. Perez is having less fun. “The steering wheel is moving by itself,” he complains to his team. Not ideal.

9.20am EDT 09:20

Lap 8: Sainz is flying and has overtaken Stroll and Gasly. In comes Norris, and he, Gasly and Stroll go three wide with Norris soaring past both. Remarkable driving from Norris.

9.18am EDT 09:18

Lap 7: The racing gets back underway and Hamilton and Verstappen go toe to toe again, this time Hamilton resists going for the kill.

Hamilton tries to overtake Verstappen again Photograph: Lars Baron/Getty Images

Updated at 9.37am EDT

9.17am EDT 09:17

Lap 5: Perez skids though the gravel under safety car – these conditions have thrown a cat among the pigeons.

9.12am EDT 09:12

Lap 4: Schumacher has crashed behind the safety car, trying to get temperature into his tyres, and hit the wall on the exit to the pit lane! There’s damage to the nose of his car but his race isn’t over yet… But he can’t pit because the lane is closed – so he’ll have to go round again before getting any repairs.

Updated at 9.14am EDT

9.10am EDT 09:10

Lap 3: Latifi was at fault in his collision with Mazepin, who he drove onto the grass. Mercedes tell Hamilton:“Looks like we have damage to the front end wing.”

The Safety Car leads Max Verstappen and the rest of the field Photograph: Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1/Getty Images

Updated at 9.21am EDT

9.08am EDT 09:08

Lap 2: Tsunoda, who started last, is not mucking around and has already made his way up to 15th.

9.07am EDT 09:07

Lap 1: Ricciardo steams ahead of Gasly and Stroll into fifth while Latifi has hit Mazepin and spun into the wall, pretty hard. He’s okay though. And Leclerc has stolen ahead of Perez into third.

The car of Nicholas Latifi of Canada and Williams is removed from the circuit after crashing into the wall Photograph: Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1/Getty Images

Updated at 9.26am EDT

9.05am EDT 09:05

Lap 1: And we’re off. Verstappen gets away brilliantly, side by side with Hamilton into the first corner. Hamilton bounces over the curbs but holds on to second with Perez in close attendance. “I’ve got damage,” he says in his radio.

Verstappen holds his line as Hamilton is forced wide Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Hamilton makes contact with Verstappen as he rejoins the track Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Updated at 9.29am EDT

9.03am EDT 09:03

The gang rev up, and then head off for the formation lap, water spraying everywhere. Leclerc spins off! But gets going again and nips back past Gasly in to fourth

9.00am EDT 09:00

How they start:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)5. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)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 (Alfa Romeo)17. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)18. Mick Schumacher (Haas)19. Nikita Mazepin (Haas)20. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)

Updated at 9.00am EDT

8.59am EDT 08:59

Gasly, Ocon, Schmuacher and Mazepin are going to start with full wet tyres. And there will be no safety car start. Almost time now…

8.58am EDT 08:58

“It is tricky,” says Lando Norris, channelling his inner Joseph Simmons. “It is full wet at turn two but dry at the back. It will be a tricky start. It makes it more exiting. It’ll be a lot of fun as long as I keep it on the road.”

8.47am EDT 08:47

The cars of both Stroll and Vettel are undergoing some panicked last-minute work from the Aston Martin technicians – as is Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.

8.41am EDT 08:41

And Fernando Alonso has driven into a wall. fine work all round.

8.39am EDT 08:39

It’s all happening, and the race is still 20 minutes away. Lance Stroll is reporting issues with his brakes – it looks like they might have caught fire – while Bottas has a tyre puncture.

8.31am EDT 08:31

And in more immediate news: it’s chucking it down in Imola! The cars are currently ploughing through puddles as they go through their reconnaissance laps.

8.23am EDT 08:23

Valtteri Bottas is blaming his disappointing display yesterday on Technical Difficulties. “First run, I went into turn two and had a really sudden snap from the rear end, and then it really continued through sector one, and I lost a lot of time,” he said. “Actually the same thing [happened] in run two; it was never there. I couldn’t trust the rear end of the car, and it was something that I didn’t feel in the whole qualifying before that.”

8.20am EDT 08:20

Hot off the press: F1 announced this morning that there will be a new grand prix in the calendar as of next year – in Miami, the city that keeps the roof blazin’. Here’s our full report:

6.18am EDT 06:18

Preamble

Lewis Hamilton produced a performance to surprise even himself yesterday, completing one of his best laps ever – steaming around the Imola track in 1min 14.411sec – to claim pole position for ahead of the Red Bulls of Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen. for the last few years Hamilton has had little competition for supremacy – but now he has exactly that, and is responding how the best sportspeople do: by upping his game accordingly.

The scene is set, then, for today’s race amid the resplendent scenery of northern Italy, on a track whose cruelty was laid bare yesterday by Lando Norris: his majestic final lap, which would have taken him second, took him outside the track limits by a matter of inches and thus didn’t count.

Valtteri Bottas’s did – although it was only enough to put him in eighth, which gives Red Bull a rare tactical advantage over Mercedes, with two drivers at the front in Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen. “It is going to take us as a team performing as close to perfection as possible,” reckons Hamilton. A high bar. Let’s see if they can clear it.