THE F1 season continues this weekend in Italy as Imola hosts Formula One for the first time in 16 years.
- Race: Tomorrow, 12.10pm GMT
- TV/Live stream: Sky Sports F1/NOW TV
Follow all the latest from Imola with our blog below...
BOTTAS TAKES POLE
Valtteri Bottas joins an illustrious list of drivers to take pole at Imola.
AND FROM POLE SITTER, VALTTERI BOTTAS
“This track is beautiful and it’s a great feeling to get pole – I had the shakes afterwards!
“I knew in the last lap I had to risk it and go hard and the car responded. It’s a good place to start tomorrow and I’m looking forward it it”
MORE FROM HAMILTON
“I’m pretty certain you’ll see a boring race tomorrow.
“After Turn 1 it is going to be a train as there is nowhere else to pass, but hopefully with the DRS that will give us an opportunity to overtake. Nonetheless, I’ll give it everything tomorrow.”
LEWIS HAMILTON ON HIS PERFORMANCE
“Valtteri did a great job and it was a pretty p*** poor lap from myself!
“These things happen, you can’t always get it perfect. The speeds here are unbelievable. It was a real challenge out there.”
BREAKING: @ValtteriBottas takes pole at Imola!
He edges out Lewis Hamilton (P2) to claim the 15th pole of his career 🚀
Max Verstappen takes P3 for Red Bull imolagp 🇮🇹 f1 pic.twitter.com/DHeQkeF8HJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 31, 2020
BOTTAS DOES – THE FINN TAKES POLE POSITION
Hamilton will start second. Verstappen in third and Gasly fourth.
HAMILTON IS GOING EVEN QUICKER
But so too is Bottas.
This might be close between the two Merc men.
THREE MINUTES TO GO…
Merc are looking comfortable.
IT IS CLOSE BETWEEN THE MERC DUO
0.031s…
That’s it…
All that separates LH and VB in this battle for pole! 😬 pic.twitter.com/sOmSyq6jmg— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 31, 2020
ALBON HAS A TIME DELETED
The Red Bull man exceeded track limits – for the SEVENTH time today.
He keeps on making the same mistake.
Not good enough.
He is in P10
PROVISIONAL POLE FOR HAMILTON
The world champ draws first blood as Bottas’s flying lap is only good enough for second place.
It is Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, Gasly, Albon, Leclerc after their first attempts.
Q3 IS GO
The top 10 shoot-out. Mercedes looking good for a front row lock out.
Will Verstappen challenge then?
Can Gasly keep the pressure on?
And what about Leclerc? He has a habit of coming good in the end.
GREAT WORK FROM GASLY
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁
Q3 🔜imolagp 🇮🇹 f1 pic.twitter.com/S94CPeGi4o
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 31, 2020
Q2 IS DONE
Stroll, Russell, Vettel, Ocon and Perez are eliminated.
Both AlphaTauris are in the top 10. Both McLarens also into Q3
VERSTAPPEN IS INTO Q3
Super effort from Red Bull. Incredible stuff in the garage.
RED BULL GET VERSTAPPEN
A spark-plug change, usually takes 15 minutes, Red Bull have done it in about 5. Incredible stuff.
Verstappen is running again.
Two minutes to go.
DROP ZONE
Crikey, look at that…
Albon, Stroll, Russell, Vettel, Verstappen
AND NOW ALBON SPINS
A double disaster for Red Bull. The Thai driver spins and is in for new tyres.
Meanwhile, Verstappen is sat in the garage while the team fix a misfire in the engine.
PROBLEM FOR VERSTAPPEN
More swearing from the Dutchman, who says he has no power. Just when it looked like a comfortable run into Q3.
He is in the garage, the wheels are off and now the engine cover is being removed.
He’s not set a lap time and looking at a P15 start in the race, unless the team can get him back out on track.
Teammate Alex Albon down in P7.
TYRE TALK
Teams trying to reach Q3 on the optimal medium tyre, which they would start the race on.
A few medium tyres coming out in q2 as expected: from @MercedesAMGF1 @ScuderiaFerrari @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/rqgBg4HO9J
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) October 31, 2020
Q2 IS UNDERWAY
This is close to call. Aside from the Mercs and Verstappen, who look in a class of their own, it is going to be interesting to see who gets the boot from Q2.
Q1 IS DONE
Giovinazzi, Latifi, Raikkonen, Magnussen and Grosjean are eliminated.
George Russell makes it into Q2 for the eighth time this season as the Brit continues to deliver.
COULD THERE BE A BIG SCALP HERE?
Albon and Ricciardo are in the bottom five. They need clean laps.
THIS IS EXCITING STUFF
The lack of running, remember just one 90 minute practice session, means all the drivers are still picking different routes through this track.
Lap times are tumbling as Bottas moes into the top two.
HAMILTON GOES INTO P1
His first lap is good enough to go into P1, despite hitting the kerb.
But under fire Alex Albon is only 15th in his Red Bull
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
