System 1 returns from its two-week absence on Sunday with a perennial favourite: the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. It is F1’s first go to to Imola since 2022.
Nestled within the Italian foothills between Bologna and San Marino, Imola is likely one of the most scenic stops on the F1 circuit. It is thought of a house race for Racing Bulls, whose manufacturing facility is situated a number of miles away in Faenza, and Ferrari, whose founder Enzo was born within the area.
However whereas Imola is understood for its magnificence and racing historical past, it has been marked by tragedy throughout its 44 years in F1. In 1994, Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger and Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna have been killed simply someday aside following heavy crashes on the Imola circuit.
Ratzenberger was a novice with a vibrant profession in motorsport forward of him; Senna was a three-time world champion and a residing legend within the sport.
Memorial companies for Ratzenberger and Senna are frequent when F1 visits Imola. This yr, former world champion Sebastian Vettel led the present F1 drivers on a run across the observe of their honor.
In 2023, Imola confronted a brand new tragedy, this time of the non-racing selection. Excessive rainfall within the Emilia-Romagna area brought about large floods all through the city, resulting in evacuations, accidents and deaths. The 2023 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was canceled, and F1 drivers volunteered their weekend time to help with cleanups and resettlements.
This yr, although, Imola has recovered from the floods and is able to host the Grand Prix as soon as extra. Its circuit, often called the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, is a quick, tight, slim observe that serves up a few of the highest speeds on the F1 calendar. Its most well-known flip, Acqua Minerale, is a nasty 90-degree right-hander in Sector 2 that feeds right into a speed-generating straight.
Qualifying means all the things at Imola. The observe’s narrowness makes overtakes tough, and race begin orders have a tendency to carry agency. Simply ask Charles Leclerc, who discovered himself trapped behind Sergio Perez in follow and unable to finish his scorching lap efficiently.
It wasn’t simply Perez who struggled for Crimson Bull throughout follow runs. World champion Max Verstappen had two of his roughest classes in years, calling his automotive a ‘catastrophe’ earlier than spinning out a number of instances into the gravel.
That is nice information for Ferrari and McLaren, which might set blistering instances on the Imola circuit. Ferrari hasn’t gained at Imola since Michael Schumacher took house the trophy in 2006. May this be the yr it lastly makes it again to the rostrum?
Leclerc appears to suppose so. He regarded sensible all through his follow runs, setting the quickest instances in FP1 and FP2.
Qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will start on Saturday, Might 18, at 10:00 a.m. ET and the race itself will start on Sunday, Might 19, at 9:00 a.m. ET.
