IMOLA, Italy (AP) — Max Verstappen won a dramatic Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday after world champion Lewis Hamilton hit a wall in a race that was also temporarily suspended following a separate incident involving Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen led for the majority of the race on the wet Imola track with the Red Bull driver beating Hamilton by 22 seconds for the 11th win of his career.
Hamilton, who won the season-opening Bahrain GP last month, showed all his skills to make his way back up the field after falling as far back as ninth following an incident just before the halfway point of the race.
Lando Norris was third, 23.702 behind Verstappen.
Hamilton started on pole but was overtaken by Verstappen at the start. The British driver was running a comfortable second until he slid off the track, through the gravel and into the wall on lap 31. He managed to return to the track eventually but had fallen all the way down to ninth.
A short time later, Bottas and Williams driver George Russell were involved in a crash — which will be investigated after the finish — and the race was red-flagged on lap 34 with debris from their cars scattered across the track.
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1of9Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leads Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco during the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola racetrack, Italy, Sunday, April 18, 2021.Luca Bruno/APShow MoreShow Less2of9Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands followed by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain lead the field after the start during the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola racetrack, Italy, Sunday, April 18, 2021.Luca Bruno/APShow MoreShow Less
3of94of9Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands follows the safety car during the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola racetrack, Italy, Sunday, April 18, 2021.Luca Bruno/APShow MoreShow Less5of9Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola racetrack, Italy, Sunday, April 18, 2021.Luca Bruno/APShow MoreShow Less
6of97of9Mclaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola racetrack, Italy, Sunday, April 18, 2021.Luca Bruno/APShow MoreShow Less8of9Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Imola racetrack, Italy, Sunday, April 18, 2021.Luca Bruno/APShow MoreShow Less
