Race Highlights | 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Oh, and there's the Ferrari! There's the Ferrari at Acquaminerale of Charles Leclerc. That's on the intermediate tyres. So he hasn't really lost too many places there, has he? All clear then for Charles Leclerc. It's lights out and away we go. Verstappen gets an excellent reaction. Hamilton, though, is ahead of Perez, but not for long as Max Verstappen now on the inside joins Hamilton in battle. It is Hamilton and Verstappen. Verstappen and Hamilton wheel-to-wheel going into the field of the Turborello chicane. Hamilton is force wide and he's lost a little bit of bodywork as well. Sergio Perez is in third place at the moment, looking to make it into second. The rest covered in a blanket of spray. Verstappen leads the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix from Lewis Hamilton. The two championship protagonists came together at the first braking point. Lewis tried to brave it out around the outside and ran out of road in these conditions. The Ferrari is really struggling to fire the tyres up, aren't they? Oh, and that is Nicholas Latifi in the Williams and he is out. Going off where Leclerc went off on the formation lap. Rejoins. Right, that's not Mazepin's fault. That's the car recovering back onto the track. Oh, and that is Mick Schumacher at the exit of the pit lane. I say he was warming his tyres up and lost it. We're racing again here at Imola and it's a decent start for Max Verstappen. But Hamilton is right on his tail. And I wonder, is Hamilton going to have a little go if he can into the chicane? They came together on the opening lap. This time around, Hamilton is just a little too far back to make the move on Verstappen. He slots there into second place. As Norris gets ahead of Stroll and behind. Well, no speed there for the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. He's trying to get past Pierre Gasly. That's not going to happen. Getting in on the axis, the McLaren of Lando Norris. Gasly first into the chicane ahead of Norris. Then comes Carlos Sainz. Then comes the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll. And then comes Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes. Norris and Gasly really going for it here. Norris is up to sixth place. Gasly will try and fight that back. But I don't think he's going to manage it in the braking zone. No, he's not. Look at the lead Verstappen has now. 5.3 seconds and flying along very nicely. As is Lance Stroll. Those wet tyres on the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly not helping him as Stroll takes the long way round and over the kerbs at the chicane. And it was a move that was on, but very, very difficult to slow the car down enough to keep on the tarmac. Ten second time penalty is being applied to Sergio Perez for overtaking while the safety car is deployed. He misses. Two cars overtake him. Gasly goes through as well. And then he just whistles straight back past them. Yeah, can't do that. You can't do that. They sit impassively in the Mercedes garage looking at their monitors. There was never any doubt that they were going to keep Lewis Hamilton out. Verstappen first to blink. This one needs to be perfect, Mercedes. But they know that he's very slow into the box. Very steady, a little slow on the front. Oh, he's got to wait for the Alfa Romeo to pass. Giovinazzi passes. It's a scrub set of medium tyres. I'm not sure that was a bit slower than it should have been. It was four seconds, Martin. Yeah, the right front seemed to be a while going on and that's released Verstappen. He was quicker in the middle sector anyway. Well, everyone has been lapped so far by the race leader down to Valtteri Bottas. Oh, and sliding off the road goes the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. Oh, and I think he might be, unless he can find reverse. And he's kept the engine running. This is absolute disaster for Lewis Hamilton. So whilst Verstappen carries out on in front, extending his advantage, Hamilton is sat trying to escape from the gravel trap. He realises, I mean, it's effectively a front wheel drive car right now, isn't it? As he reverses out. Smart thinking. He put so few revs on. He knows that as soon as you spin the wheels, you start digging yourself into the gravel. And we're going to get a safety car now, because that's Valtteri Bottas and George Russell, who are out of this race. And they look like they've had a big coming together as well. On board with George Russell, who hits Bottas. Yes, because he gets onto the grass. What the **** was he doing? Honestly, is he a **** or what? The race has now been red flagged. Oh, Max Verstappen, what's happened there? Just trying to light up his tyres somewhat on the entry into Rivazza and a trip to the grass that wasn't part of the playbook. After the red flag, we can go racing again. And Lando Norris is wasting no time whatsoever getting stuck in the racing. He's got past Charles Leclerc and up into second place. Verstappen leads from Norris. Then comes Leclerc, Perez, Sainz and Ricciardo. And going off in the back, it's Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda, who's made up 10 places in this race, is now going to see all that good work come to an end in the space of 600 metres down to the first corner at the restart. Somebody else has been off. He just got a little bit wide. Left rear tyre dipped on. No damage. Yeah, it just got a little bit wide and the left rear tyre dipped into the damp part of the track. Who's got the DRS this time? And it is not Charles Leclerc. And it is Lewis Hamilton. And is this what Hamilton needs to blast past that Ferrari? It very much is what he needed to blast past that Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton is back up into the podium. Places. Is Hamilton close enough? And he does look to be an awful lot closer. And once again, Norris makes him go the long way round. But Hamilton was close enough, under braking, to get alongside and ahead. And he does move himself up into second place to a man who's never won in Italy before and who wins the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this afternoon. Max Verstappen, for the first time in his career, takes victory in Italy. And it was a victory by a long, long margin. Big smiles down at McLaren as Lando Norris takes another podium in Formula One. A super drive from him this afternoon. This is turning into something special, I think. Certainly for Max Verstappen. Great recovery drive from Lewis Hamilton. Wonderful drive from Lando Norris to make amends after his disappointment in qualifying yesterday. And a victorious drive from Max Verstappen. Surely not the last we'll see this year. Hamilton needs the championship by one point. Let's bring on Round 3. I can't wait for that.