Formula 1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix race LIVE: Start time, leaderboard and lap-by-lap updates with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris start on front row following Oscar Piastri penalty

McLaren team prinicipal Zak Brown has told Sky Sports;

I think the top five cars can win today. Fortunately we’ve got two in the top five.

We put Oscar at a bit of a disadvantage by getting the strategy bit wrong, which is unfortunate, but I think we have two fast race cars surrounded by three or four other fast race cars, so I think we’re going to see a great race today.’

Fernando Alonso is 19th on the grid and he has told Sky Sports that he expects today to be a ‘learning session’ and ‘doesn’t expect to get any points’.

The Imola circuit is notoriously difficult to overtake on so he might just have a point.

Alonso will be starting from the pit-lane after making some changes overnight under parc-ferme conditions. Might as well if you’re starting on the last row!

Max Verstappen extended his lead at the top of the standings in Miami, despite losing out to Lando Norris.

He holds a 33 point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez, with 20 points covering the Mexican, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.

1. Max Verstappen – 136
2. Sergio Perez – 103
3. Charles Leclerc – 98
4. Lando Norris – 83
5. Carlos Sainz – 83
6. Oscar Piastri – 41
7. George Russell – 37
8. Fernando Alonso – 33
9. Lewis Hamilton – 27
10. Yuki Tsunoda – 14

Sebastian Vettel took Ayrton Senna’s old McLaren for a spin quite literally!

Lewis Hamilton received a warm reaction from the Italian crowd – something he can definitely expect when he makes the switch to Ferrari in 2025.

The Tifosi – a term used to describe Ferrari’s passionate fans – are excited to see the seven-time champion wear Red next season.

Hamilton on his tour around the track before today’s race said;

I need to improve my Italian, but I’m very excited! The tifosi have supported me for a long time, but now I definitely feel their energy more. It will be a dream to be here next year.’

Lando Norris has told Sky Sports;

We’ve continued the good run of form, good pace, good qualifying, and today we need to prove that we’ve got good race pace.

We had a fairly strong indication on Friday that the pace was very good, so I’m excited, I would love if it could cool down just a little bit, that would play into our hands a touch more, but things are looking good and we are in a good position. I think we can bring the fight to Max ahead.’

1. Max Verstappen
2. Lando Norris
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Oscar Piastri
6. George Russell
7. Yuki Tsunoda
8. Lewis Hamilton
9. Daniel Ricciardo
10. Nico Hulkenberg
11. Sergio Perez
12. Esteban Ocon
13. Lance Stroll
14. Alex Albon
15. Pierre Gasly
16. Valterri Bottas
17. Zhou Guanyu
18. Kevin Magnussen
19. Fernando Alonso
20. Logan Sargeant

The sound of Formula One cars revving their engines has begun, as the 20 drivers start making their way to the grid.

Lando Norris finally got off the mark in Formula One with his victory in the excellent Miami Grand Prix.

While he did get fortunate during a safety car period, he pulled away from Max Verstappen and won the race on merit with a brilliant drive.

And what an opportunity he has in front of him this afternoon!

The penalty to his team-mate Oscar Piastri has provided a huge boost by pushing him up to the front row, and he will be determined to get the jump on his good friend Verstappen at the start to take the lead.

If he can strike again, could we potentially talk about him being a title contender?

Believe it or not, there were expectations going into qualifying that Max Verstappen would not be on pole position!

The Dutchman had struggled in the three practice sessions but set a blistering pace in qualifying to take his eighth straight pole – a joint record in Formula One history alongside the great Ayrton Senna.

However, it was close at the top with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris close behind in the two McLarens, however the Australian received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen in Q1 – relegating him behind his team-mate and the two Ferraris.

It was more disappointment for Mercedes, with George Russell sixth and Lewis Hamilton eighth.

But the two big losers of qualifying were Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso, who crashed in the morning practice session and could only place themselves 11th and 20th on the grid respectively.

The race pace of that McLaren, as Norris showed in Miami, is very impressive and something Verstappen will need to be wary of this afternoon.

And welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

We will be bringing you all the updates and lap-by-lap action from lights out at 2pm.

Max Verstappen is on pole from Lando Norris, can the Brit in his McLaren upset the odds for the second race in a row?

Also what can Oscar Piastri do from fifth? He qualified second but received a three-place penalty which gives him an uphill challenge this afternoon.