Red Bull's Max Verstappen has won a chaotic and crash-halted Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton second to retain the championship lead by a single point.
The win, by a commanding 22 seconds at the chequered flag, was the 11th of the 23-year-old's career.
"It was very challenging out there, especially in the beginning, to stay on track to be honest - it was very slippery," he says of a race that started with most drivers on intermediate tyres, but some on full wets.
"I think we managed everything well."
Winner of the Bahrain season-opener, Hamilton took a crucial bonus point for fastest lap on a rollercoaster afternoon for the seven-time world champion, whose race was almost wrecked by a rare mistake.
The Brit started on pole - his 99th - but dropped from second to ninth, after skidding into the gravel and nudging the barriers at Tosa, with his car at a standstill and a retirement looming.
He kept the engine running, reversed back out, returned to the pits and fought his way back to the podium with a stirring recovery drive, after the race was stopped and re-started halfway through.
"On my side, it was not the greatest day,” says Hamilton. “It's the first time I've made a mistake in a long time, but I'm grateful I was able to bring the car home today."
McLaren's Lando Norris completed the top three for the first time two British drivers had stood together on the podium since 2012.
Hamilton now has 44 points to Verstappen's 43, with Norris on 23. Mercedes stayed atop the constructors standings, with 60 points to Red Bull's 53.
Verstappen seized the lead into turn two on the opening lap, forcing his way through with a great start from third on the grid, but making contact with the Mercedes as he went.
The race was halted due to debris, after a big collision between Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas, who had started eighth, and Williams' George Russell on lap 32 in a battle for ninth place.
Plenty of mayhem ensued before then, with Canadian Nicholas Latifi smashing his Williams into the barriers and plenty of spins elsewhere.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz was fifth, with McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo sixth.
Canadian Lance Stroll was seventh for Aston Martin, with AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly eighth and Kimi Raikkonen ninth for Alfa Romeo. Frenchman Esteban Ocon took the last point for Alpine.
Reuters
