F1: Verstappen wins in Italy; Hamilton and Norris fill thrilling Imola podium

Max Verstappen claimed an impressive and dominating victory in a chaotic Emilia Romagna GP, with Lewis Hamilton recovering from an uncharacteristic error to place second.

20 minutes before the race was due to start, showers fell on the circuit mainly around Turns 1-4, sending the tacticians and engineers into a frenzy as they tried to work out whether it was wet enough for intermediate or full wet tyres.

Fernando Alonso was among the racers struggling with the grip levels, with Aston Martin having brake failure on both their cars, leading to Vettel starting from the pit lane, and getting a penalty for not completing the fixes in time.

When the lights went out, Verstappen, who appeared to start the car in second gear, managed to find his way into the lead, with Hamilton being forced onto the kerbs and damaging his front wing in the process. Nicholas Latifi and Nikita Mazepin had a coming together, leading to a safety car with the Canadian being the first retirement.

Further drama happened when Hamilton, on new Medium tyres, slid off on lap 31 while lapping George Russell. Hamilton would continue, but down in eighth place and a lap down.

However, a few laps later, Valtteri Bottas and Russell, fighting over ninth, came together when the latter put a wheel on the grass at high speed, taking out the Mercedes. Both cars were left lying broken in the same gravel trap where Senna sadly lost his life 26 years ago.

The incident caused a red flag, which would ultimately lend Hamilton a lifeline, – when the race restarted, the seven-time champion was now only six seconds behind Verstappen, but down in ninth place.

The final 28 laps flew by, with Hamilton clawing his way up to second place, but a long way off from the eventual winner, Verstappen. Red Bull’s number two, Sergio Perez, continued to have a difficult start to the season, gaining a ten second stop and go penalty for overtaking under the safety car, and eventually finished 12th after spinning.

The major talking point will be the incident between Bottas and Russell, both of whom deny responsibility. The fact that they are both Mercedes drivers will only add to the fall-out, along with the fact that Bottas was perhaps fighting too hard for ninth, a place that would have meant more for Williams than Mercedes.

Race standings: