Summary

  • Verstappen wins Imola classic as Norris makes podium

  • Race suspended after Bottas & Russell suffer huge crash

  • Hamilton recovers to second after spin

  • Furious exchange between Russell and Bottas

  • Verstappen leads after robust overtake on Hamilton during wet start

  • Latifi crashes out, Schumacher crashes under safety car

  • Penalties for Perez and Vettel

  1. Postpublished at 15:22 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Here is the damage the Russell-Bottas tangle caused to both cars...

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  2. Bottas not to blamepublished at 15:19 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Jolyon Palmer
    Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

    Emotions run high in these moments. You can understand Russell's reaction. Bottas doesn't have to make it easy for Russell to pass him.

    I don't think the Finn broke the rules. I believe the gap was there and George left too much space to the left, that put him on the grass to the right.

    It was a racing incident.

  3. Postpublished at 15:19 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    We are back racing again in six minutes.

  4. Team-by-teampublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Lap 34/63

    How is every team doing at the break...

    Red Bull: 1st (Verstappen) and 4th (Perez)

    Ferrari: 2nd (Leclerc) and 5th (Sainz)

    McLaren: 3rd (Norris) and 6th (Ricciardo)

    Aston Martin: 7th (Stroll) and 15th (Vettel)

    Alfa Romeo: 8th (Raikkonen) and 11th (Giovinazzi)

    Mercedes: 9th (Hamilton)

    Alpha Tauri: 10th (Tsunoda) and 14th (Gasly)

    Alpine: 12th (Alonso) and 13th (Ocon)

    Haas: 16th (Schumacher) and 17th (Mazepin)

    Out - Bottas (Mercedes), Russell (Williams) and Latifi (Williams)

  5. Red flag debriefs...published at 15:18 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Lewis HamiltonImage source, Getty Images
    Max VerstappenImage source, Getty Images
  6. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 15:17 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    #bbcf1

    Sean: Seen all the replays and that crash is definitely on George Russell. Just wasn’t enough space for the overtake.

    Nick Jenkin: Can Lando Norris win from here? If so, I will go completely mad. Make it so...

    Big Oot: Bottas swerved right when George is next to him. I wonder if Toto would consider a Red Bull type swap... not sure Bottas could get a Williams up to P10.

  7. Postpublished at 15:13 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Did these fans manage to see any of the Russell-Bottas action?!

    FansImage source, Reuters
  8. Postpublished at 15:13 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    That Russell and Bottas crash could make the Mercedes dynamic very strange if we have a situation where they are team-mates again, just as they were in Bahrain in the penultimate race of 2020.

  9. 'Verstappen must win'published at 15:12 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Jolyon Palmer
    Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

    Verstappen has an open goal here. As a championship contender he must win.

    Where can Hamilton recover to? Can he spoil Leclerc or Norris' push for a podium?

  10. Postpublished at 15:11 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    We're seeing some footage of Lewis Hamilton in the pits, crouched down, head on hands after going into the wall. He looks distraught and a bit shaken up after that incident.

    He should be in ninth when we restart and you know what, you can never write him off, ever. We still have 29 laps of action when we get going again. A long time for him to carve his way through the field and get back on the podium.

  11. 'Track in a right state'published at 15:09 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    In all that melee, Alonso also lost it at Tamburello in the wake of Bottas and Russell having their massive accident. Track there is in a right state.

  12. 'On George'published at 15:08 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Jolyon Palmer
    Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

    I think there was space for Russell. I think that incident is on George.

  13. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 15:08 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    #bbcf1

    Amit: Hamilton went off trying to lap Russell, Bottas got collected by Russell… Not a good day for Mercedes drivers.

    Chris Wignall: I didn't think the indycar was on until later tonight!

    2ndLesmo: Look at Russell's front left slamming into the halo.

  14. 'Russell got very upset'published at 15:08 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Jennie Gow
    BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter

    George Russell is quite a calm guy. He has got very upset. Russell was the car Hamilton had to get around too. It has been a really costly day for Mercedes. How will the dynamic be changed between those three?

  15. Postpublished at 15:08 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    We're going to be a while here as there are lots of pieces of barrier and the Mercedes of Bottas and the Williams of Russell all over the track. The clean-up job is under way.

  16. 'Fine margins'published at 15:07 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    Replays of Bottas-Russell not conclusive. Bottas defends to the inside, but the curve of the track brings him back right a bit. Russell goes to the outside and there is wheel spin - white line or grass probably. There was a gap. Hard to be sure whether it was enough. Fine margins.

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  17. Postpublished at 15:06 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Lap 34/63

    The first half of this show has been spectacular. Now the interval and a brief refreshment break before the second half.

    Will the second live up to the first?

  18. Postpublished at 15:03 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Jack Nicholls
    BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator

    I don't think Bottas was to blame at all for the crash.

  19. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 15:03 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    #bbcf1

    Rob Colley: Yeah you never get exciting races at the Imola circuit...

    Willem Mevius: Even when making a mistake, Lewis is still brilliant, by keeping it running and getting it back out and back to the pits. Others would just have given up, or beach it.

    Jason Cole: Does the red flag bring Hamilton back into it?

  20. Postpublished at 15:02 British Summer Time 18 April 2021

    Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    Red flag. Was there enough room for Russell? Did he get on a white line? Was it Bottas's fault or Russell's or a racing incident. Recriminations inevitable.