F1: Lewis Hamilton wins the Imola Grand Prix

With a slice of luck and great tactics, Lewis Hamilton got the better of his Mercedes teammate to win in Imola and take one step closer to a seventh driver's championship.

The win also confirmed a seventh straight constructors' title for Mercedes, setting a new Formula One record in the process. It was the 93rd race career for Hamilton.

Pierre Gasly had pre-race problems that eventually saw him retire early, ruining a great qualifying spot that saw him start in fourth. Despite overtaking Valtteri Bottas who was held back by damage to his car floor, Red Bull's Max Verstappen crashed out in second place towards the end of the race.

Verstappen dropping out opened up the third podium spot that Daniel Ricciardo eventually claimed despite a late charge from Daniil Kvyat. It was the second podium of the season for the Australian.

Podium

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3. Daniel Ricciardo (Renault)

Fastest lap

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) — 1:15.484

Quote of the day

"It was a bizarre one. I got into fourth at the start and thought that was the best we could do. Cyril said 'congrats, but I'm not getting another tattoo!" — Daniel Ricciardo.

Drive of the day

Daniil Kvyat (AlphaTauri) — Kimi Raikkonen finishing 9th after starting 18th was worth a shout, but Kvyat, who started in 8th, excellently managed a hectic sprint for the final podium spot, passing Charles Leclerc and was only one or two laps away from stealing into third.

Best team

Mercedes — With most other teams having only one driver excel it was a day where Mercedes proved why they are the bar in this sport. They pushed with Hamilton when the time was right, kept Bottas in the race when things got bumpy and reminded everyone why they are the best.

Current standings

1. Hamilton (Mercedes) — 282 points
2. Bottas (Mercedes) — 197
3. Verstappen (Red Bull) — 162
4. Ricciardo (Renault) — 95
5. Leclerc (Ferrari) — 85

As it happened:

Lewis Hamilton wins the Imola GP!

Lap 59/63

Ricciardo is in third at the moment. Has he got enough to hold on given the Aussie didn't pitted during all of that madness. He has 30 career podiums, with his last one coming in Germany this season. With the safety car still out, cars are doing all they can to warm up their tires. Hamilton pauses, packing the field together for a moment as we enter the finale. Then he's off and we are back racing. Hamilton pulls away, leaving no chance for Bottas. Nightmare for Albon, who doesn't have his tires right and is passed and then spins out. Somehow Sainz doesn't hit him. Back of the pack for the Red Bull. A great restart for Kvyat, who is into fourth and might well take that last podium spot off Ricciardo. The Russian does have an extra stop in his pocket.

Lap 55/63

Nightmare for Verstappen! He's out! Something broke on the car, he says over the radio. His back right tire looks melted. What a disaster for the Red Bull driver, who kicks the tire in frustration. So close to a podium. Safety car is out as Verstappen's car is off track but not far away. This is a chance to pit for everyone and people take it, including Bottas. Hamilton just missed the chance to jump in at first, so he has to go in the next time around and just comes out ahead of his teammate! That was close. Russell somehow loses control behind the SC and smashes into the wall. Oops. "I don't know what to say," he says over the radio. He is angry with himself and slaps himself on the leg as he sits on the ground. Stroll knocks his front man over in the pit. "Sorry about that, brakes are really cold." All happening at the end here!

Lap 51/63

Magnussen asked if he wants to retire. "It's my job isn't it? It just hurts a lot." Fair enough, but given he's last maybe coming in wouldn't be a bad idea. In the end, he does come in and retire. Good call I think. Hamilton posts the fastest lap, because that's what he does. Raikkonen finally does pit and comes out in 12th. Perez, who started 11th, moves into 4th. The Mexican is making a case that he deserves that Red Bull seat, if Alexander Albon does indeed fail to retain his. Verstappen's teammate is in 8th at the moment, which is probably below pace.

Lap 46/63

Hamilton now leading by 12 seconds. Got it all right today, and a bit of luck. Bottas slips out again, even more this time, and although he holds him off at first the Dutchman gets past on the straight and is delighted over the radio. Clear now though, that it was Bottas struggling and not a deliberate approach from Mercedes to help Hamilton. Verstappen is driving faster now and wants that fastest lap bonus point now. Raikkonen in 4th and still yet to pit. Magnussen complains of getting a headache through all of the gear changes. You can hear it too.

Lap 40/63

Concern for Verstappen who says his engine cut out momentarily - not what you want to hear as an F1 driver. Nevertheless, the Dutchman is edging closer to Bottas, aided by the Finn swing a back tire onto the gravel. Bottas is told his floor damage is quite significant, which is probably the cause of his problems, and that it probably came from race debris. A tough break. Going to be a job to hold off the Red Bull now. Vettel posts his fastest lap today and then boxes, but it's a terrible pit stop that lasts 13.1s after some trouble getting the tire in. Ouch - that effectively costs him the race. He comes out in 14th and all that work is done.

Lap 35/63

Over halfway here. Hamilton couldn't have timed this better. He pits as the VSC starts and as he comes out it ends and it looks like he gained just under four seconds. A nod to Bottas there too, who kept Verstappen at bay. Although, perhaps the problem with the floor of his car did cause his pace to drop. 4th, 5th and 6th - Vettel, Raikkonen and Latifi are still on their first set of tires. Vettel even has a 21 second lead on Kimi. Maybe this will be one of the rare good day's for the four-time champion. Verstappen swings wide on a corner but is still right behind Bottas and is a bit faster in sector 1.

Lap 30/63

Hamilton is asked if he can go an extra 10 laps longer. He says he definitely can go longer. He has already lapped Stroll and is closing in on Grosjean. He is 28 seconds clear of Verstappen now. Sounds like Mercedes want to build on that lead a bit more. In the middle of the field, Magnussen can't hold onto 8th as Ricciardo then Leclerc steal by him. He tries to hold on, but can't and then he has to pit. Vettel has done a good job of managing the race so far, opting for the long-race strategy. The German is in 4th and driving good times but still has to pit at some point. Gasly confirms that the issue that saw him retire was the same issue pre-race, a leak. Tough. Ocon says he has a problem with the clutch and he rolls off track. Hamilton posts a fastest lap - still yet to pit.

Lap 25/63

Verstappen is closing in on Bottas. Is the Mercedes man trying to hold him back if and when Hamilton pits? Surely not... Or the Finn has a problem. The radio tells Bottas he has damage on the floor of his car. Tough luck. He must have clipped a curb. Verstappen is now less than a second behind the Finn. RB radio tells Verstappen he is being held up by Bottas. So that means Mercedes have moved to help Lewis win the drivers' championship and Bottas is driving for him. Hamilton sets the fastest lap. He's around 26 seconds clear of the Dutchman so a pit soon seems likely. The Brit is asked if he had more pace, Hamilton says he doesn't have it.

Lap 21/63

Ricciardo gets his tires warm faster and is able to pull away from Leclerc a bit. Bottas 2.4s clear of Verstappen, who is 1.5s clear of Hamilton. The Finn is told to push with all he has. Kvyat tries to take Albon but the Red Bull driver just gets passed him. Now then, Verstappen comes in to pit. 2.2 seconds, not bad at all and he comes out with no sign of Perez or Vettel (4th and 5th). Then the race leader pits and comes out ahead of Verstappen, but the gap is just over a second between the two now. Hamilton says he wants to push so don't stop me. Key moment of the race here.

Lap 16/63

Verstappen is told over the radio that he is faster in the corners but slower on the straights. Probably not anything he doesn't know. Giovinazzi boxes and goes onto mediums. That's an early box. Hamilton isn't happy about his front right tire. Leclerc is closing in on Ricciardo in fourth, but then the chasing pack pits - as does Norris, Ocon and Albon. Lots of early pits happening now just to try and stay on a one-pit strategy. That shakes up the top six, moving Sainz, Perez and Vettel up. Ricciardo comes out of the pit just ahead of Leclerc. Oh and no penalty for Vettel so his drive continues.

Lap 10/63

Sainz passes Norris with ease. Vettel under investigation for an earlier collision with Magnussen. If he's the cause, that could be trouble for the German. Hamilton says over the radio that it's so hard to follow here. He is a bit off the pace but he is doing his tires a favor. Bottas posts another fastest lap. His race to lose I think now. He's 0.193 faster than Verstappen. Kvyat is closing in on Albon in 7th, but heartbreaking news for his AlphaTauri teammate Gasly who is told to box and retire because the car has a terminal issue. What a shame after such a fantastic qualifying campaign.

Lap 6/63

Stroll has to pit early after taking a hit to his front wing. Not his fault either, just bad luck for the Canadian. Gasly, Leclerc and Albon turning into a tasty battle for 5th. Bottas with the fastest lap, then Verstappen straight afterwards, then Hamilton, and then Bottas is back in charge. The front three are pulling away already. Going to be fun to see whether Hamilton can chase down the Dutchman. Looks like the chase for 4th and 5th will be fun too. Not long until the DRS is available...

Lap 1/63

Go, go, go! Great start by Verstappen, who slips past Hamilton. Bottas, who isn't quite in his grid, gets away fine. Gasly, who is on softs and had some technical issues just before the formation lap, gets away fine but loses a spot to Ricciardo who also does well. Great start for Giovinazzi, who moves up six spots into 14th.

Pre-race buildup

With nearly 400 meters before the first turn and overtaking perhaps not the easiest, the start in this race will be key.

As has been the case throughout this season, the drivers take a knee or show their support towards ending racism at the front of the grid.

Then comes the Italian national anthem, a rousing tune. Afterwards, the warm-up lap and then it will be lights out.

Qualifying roundup

Valtteri Bottas secured pole in Italy at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, stealing in to beat his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to top spot by a tenth of a second. A time of 1:13.609 was enough to secure the 15th pole of the Finn's career.

Max Verstappen overcame spark plug issues to seal third, while Pierre Gasly equaled his career-best starting spot by winning a stunning fourth on the grid.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, also known by the name of the Italian city in which it takes place (Imola), is the third race in Italy in this pandemic-affected 2020 season.

After Pierre Gasly's surprise win at Monza and in Hamilton's victory in Tuscany earlier this year, more excitement is expected from an improved and updated Imola track that while being narrow offers plenty of opportunities to go fast.

Current standings

1. Hamilton (Mercedes) — 256 points
2. Bottas (Mercedes) — 179
3. Verstappen (Red Bull) — 162
4. Ricciardo (Renault) — 80
5. Leclerc (Ferrari) — 75

Quote of the day

"This track is beautiful and it's a great feeling to get pole - I had the shakes afterwards!" — Valtteri Bottas after securing pole position

Circuit profile: Imola (Autodromo Dino Ferrari)

This is one of the most exciting tracks on the circuit, and it's back on the F1 schedule for the first time since 2006. Major revisions and work has been done on the circuit to make it even faster. Right from the start, the drivers will be pushing their cars to the limit. The long pit straight offers perhaps the best place for overtaking, but given the opportunities to go fast around the track this promises to be a thriller for all 63 laps.