2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Race Highlights

It's lights out and away we go. So Bottas leads Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen leads Pierre Gasly. Ricciardo starts well and Bottas now behind him has Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen vying for position. Verstappen gets ahead of Hamilton. Ricciardo has got ahead of Gasly as well. Bottas, Verstappen, Hamilton, Ricciardo as they go through the Tamburello chicane. And it's nice and clean so far. But that was a super start by Max Verstappen. Alex Albon is challenging there. Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari, got ahead of him right from the off as well. And Lando Norris keeps ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz. Lewis got off the line well. It looked as if he was even a little bit better than Valtteri Bottas. But in the second phase, when the shifting came, and we've got a hassle round spun around at Tosa. It's Kevin Magnussen who has been spun around. Five DNFs for Kevin Magnussen this season, more than any other driver. And this race has been a wretched start. OK, Pierre, listen to me. I'm really sorry. We have to box. We have to box on retire of the car. We have a terminal situation on the car. Oh, and I can hear the collective groans from everybody from our commentary box here at Imola. That is just awful news for Pierre Gasly. It's got to be surely Valtteri Bottas coming in first because he's leading this race. Hamilton would, I'm sure, like to pit and cover off Max Verstappen. But it's Bottas that comes in because he gets the choice of strategy because he's leading. It's the way they tend to work it. So Hamilton takes the lead of this race. And now Valtteri Bottas makes his stop. It's up to the crew to get their job done well, which they do. Very nice. 2.4 seconds. And out he goes. OK, Lewis, we're going to be extending. We are going to extend. We are 2.4 safe to Lewis. We have damage on the floor, left and side. We reckon at 26.5 seconds you need here. Advantage on a pit stop. Lewis currently at 25 ahead, as you can see, top left. He goes down to Ricciardo. Do you know what? He might get past Magnussen on this occasion. He's going to go the long way round into Tamburello. And Ricciardo finally gets to see the Haas in his wing mirrors rather than looking at it. And Leclerc is right on the tail of Kevin Magnussen now as well. And he goes wheel-to-wheel. Magnussen stays ahead going through the Villeneuve chicane. Leclerc is going to try and fight this. Alex Albon is coming to join this party as well. And unbelievably, round Toza, it's like Schumacher and Montoya, isn't it? But this time it's Leclerc in the Ferrari and it's Kevin Magnussen, the other car, who's part of the overtaking battle, going round the outside. Charles Leclerc makes that move stick now on the inside as they drop down towards Aqua Minerali. Around the outside of the next corner, Alex Albon tries to find his way back. Kevin Magnussen defending for his life here. And this is the sort of action that we want as Dani Criat now joins the incident as well. Criat has to back off. Magnussen locks up. Albon stays behind the Haas. He is now in 11th place, Magnussen 10th. Leclerc and Ricciardo have been released. I have a problem with the clutch. Okay, guys, I think I'm out. Virtual safety car. Now, this is so played into Lewis Hamilton's hands now. Christmas come early, Crofty, for Hamilton. Hasn't it? Just as he comes in now. And you can see on your screen, time lost during a safety car or a virtual safety car, 17 seconds. Hamilton, all being well here, will stop, receive the hard compound tyre that goes on, will come back out into this race and will be about 10 seconds clear of his teammate Valtteri Bottas. 1.2 finish and a fastest lap as well on course for a maximum haul of points of 44. And it's car number 44 that leads. Bottas goes very wide indeed. And Verstappen almost takes him on the exit of Rivazza. Now, that lunge that Verstappen put in has now caused him just to back off a little bit. And I wonder, even though he's going to get DRS, can Bottas manage to stay ahead here as Verstappen finds a slipstream, gets a good tow, now tries to go round the outside and does get ahead of Valtteri Bottas. It's not a Mercedes 1-2 now. Verstappen has put his Red Bull into second place after Bottas having trouble through Rivazza and getting too wide. Lewis Hamilton. Oh dear, that's Max Verstappen. And as you can see, right rear tyre has gone completely. What has happened to Max Verstappen? And yes, you can feel it. Can't see it, but you can feel that something breaks at the rear there. And Verstappen, absolutely no chance whatsoever. Oh, and that's George Russell behind the safety car. George Russell out as well. He's given it a boot full of throttle to warm the tyres up, and it's done a 90 left. And we are racing once again here at Imola. Ricciardo ahead of Leclerc and Albon's already under pressure from Sergio Perez and Dani Criat coming in on the action there as well. As we watch Leclerc going through the chicane, Criat ahead of Albon. Good restart for Dani Criat. Sergio Perez still behind the Red Bull, but it's Hamilton out in front as Sainz is now looking on his new soft tyres to have a go. And now it's the Villeneuve chicane. Sergio Perez gets past Alex Albon who spins. And I wonder if there was contact there from Carlos Sainz behind Alex Albon under pressure as Perez was getting past. But did Carlos Sainz just tag the Red Bullers? Now Dani Criat goes round the outside. Oh, Charles Leclerc who runs wide. And Dani Criat moves up into fourth place for Alfa Tauri. This was great stuff from Perez. Let's have a look. Did Albon drop it? He dropped it by himself. Did. He hit the throttle too hard. Mercedes have been imperious all season. They've been imperious for the last seven seasons. It's seven consecutive Constructors' Championships for Mercedes. They win here in Imola. Valtteri Bottas comes home to make it a Mercedes 1-2. Hamilton extends his championship lead. Mercedes celebrate the first of what will be two championships in 2020. Daniel Ricciardo comes home to take third ahead of Daniel Criat, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez. Hamilton and Bottas 1-2. Mercedes Constructors' Champions. And next time out in Turkey, Hamilton could take the Drivers' Championship as well.