F1 LIVE: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix grid and build-up as Lewis Hamilton reports engine issues at wet Imola

LIVE – Updated at 13:42

Formula One’s first European race of the season takes place on Sunday afternoon, as the teams and drivers face the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.

The first sprint race of the 2022 season took place on Saturday and it was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who claimed pole position for Sunday’s main event, just edging ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the penultimate lap. With the teammates of each of those two on the second row, it’s McLaren who fill the third on the grid, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo both looking to continue their fine starts to the campaign. But while Alpine, Haas and Alfa Romeo all have at least one driver in the top 10 to start at Imola, Mercedes pair George Russell (11th) and Lewis Hamilton (14th) face another dismal weekend which has left the seven-time world champion already writing off the year.

Last year Verstappen beat Hamilton after overtaking him on the very first corner, with Norris claiming the other podium spot - and despite the Belgian-Dutch racer starting in top spot this time around, his teammate Sergio Perez is looking to claim victory himself.

Follow all the latest updates from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix below:

Christian Horner is the next to have a red and blue Sky microphone thrust towards his chin: “On a day like today there is an awful lot of risk. There is probably another band of rain coming. It’s about not making mistakes and trying to stay ahead of the Ferrari.”

On Max Verstappen’s slow start yesterday: “He picked up a bit of wheel spin. Hopefully he’ll have a better start today. We need one...”

Fair play to the fans - it looked properly nasty at Imola earlier, but they’ve stuck around and the sun is poking through the clouds. There are a few