F1 LIVE | The 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy

After three long weeks, Formula 1 finally returns with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and it is set to be an entertaining event in Imola, Italy. Lewis Hamilton starts from pole position but will have both Red Bull Racing cars breathing down his neck including Sergio Perez on the soft tyre. Max Verstappen starts from third whereas the other Mercedes driver is down in P8. Follow all the action in our liveblog below!

Perez becomes the first teammate since Daniel Ricciardo to qualify ahead of Verstappen. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko opted to bring in Perez for this exact reason, to have both Red Bull cars fighting Mercedes at the front to give them additional strategy options.

And on Sunday in Imola, this pays dividends. Bottas had a terrible Q3 and will be nowhere near the front, leaving Hamilton alone at the front of the grid. To make matters worse for the seven-time champion, Perez starts the race on the faster soft tyre. Both the Brit and Verstappen set their fastest Q2 tyre on the medium Pirelli.

And if the fight at the front wasn't exciting enough, the midfield battle is also intense. Lando Norris set two purple sector times in his final run in Q3. However, the McLaren driver had his time deleted for exceeding track limits and he will start from P7, one spot behind Ricciardo.

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari have looked strong all weekend, but question marks surround their race pace. Pierre Gasly continues his good Italian form with a fifth-place start in the AlphaTauri. It's all to play for on Sunday afternoon.