01The Latest From Imola
02Speed triple
After six ‘flyaways’ to kick off the 2025 season, we’re heading closer to home with the first round of a European triple header that will see us roll through northern Italy, cross the border into France for the glitz and glamour of Monaco, and finally journey all the way over to Barcelona for could be our final visit to the Circuit de Catalunya.
First up, though, is one of F1’s most iconic old school venues – Imola and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. A staple of the calendar from 1980, the classic circuit dropped off the schedule in 2006 only to return during the truncated, pandemic-hit 2020 season. And we realised just what we’d been missing.
The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari does that thing only tracks from motor racing’s golden age can. Its close confines, almost town centre location and parkland vibe brew atmosphere in abundance. With local team flags hanging from the balconies of the houses overlooking its famed corners and 100,000 fans thronging the banks of the Santerno river that borders the track, Imola just fizzes with excitement.
And we’ve definitely felt that. Max has won three of the four races held here since 2020 and with the ’23 race being cancelled due to devastating floods, he’s managed to match Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to take three in a row here.
Yuki, meanwhile, raced at Imola for the first time in his maiden F1 season in 2021, going from 20th on the grid to 12th at the flag in a tricky, damp race. Since then, he’s bagged two points finishes, with P7 in 2022 and P10 last year.
So, what’s in store this year? Well, there are new tyre compounds and new track limits to deal with but beyond that, it’s the same fast, flowing and fantastic Imola as always. And that means just two things – total commitment, maximum reward.
No margin for error – Draped across the hillsides of the south bank of the Santerno River, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is a narrow ribbon of track packed in among parks and residential areas. That means run-off areas are tight and that mistakes are severely punished. That’s even more so since last year when the asphalt in a number of areas was replaced with gravel. This was most significant at the exit of Turn 7, Piratella, on the outside of Turns 11 and 12, Acque Minerali, on the exit of Variante Alta. All of it means that mistakes in these areas would likely lead to retirement.
At the limit – Keeping the car on the narrow ribbon of tarmac at Imola has always been tricky but this year exactly where that ribbon ends should be clearer. To better deal with track limits, the white and blue lines that delineate track limits have been adjusted in almost every corner. It should be easier for Race Control to perform checks, but the stricter limits also make it tougher for drivers to keep all four wheels on track.
Overtaking – To put it bluntly, there isn’t a heck of a lot of it. The only real overtaking opportunity comes at the end of the track’s single DRS zone along the pit straight, in Turns 2 and 3, the Tamburello chicane. The lack of chances to pass means that achieving a good position on Saturday is of paramount importance. Then, on Sunday, track position is everything.
Joy of Six – For the first time this season teams have access to the new Pirelli C6 compound, the softest in the range. The C6 was initially developed for racing on street circuits but in keeping with a general move softer this year, the C3-C5 range used in Imola last year steps out to C4-C6.
What might that mean for strategy? It’s highly unlikely that anyone will opt for the C6 in the race. Last year, just two drivers – Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly – opted to start in the C5 and both were forced into extra pit stops later on that in the end resulted in Pierre finishing 16th and Fernando 19th. On a normal day, Imola, like so many others, is a nailed-on one stopper. Max won last year from pole by starting on medium tyres and then pitting for a set of new Hard tyres on lap 24. The only other time we’ve had a fully dry race was in 2020, and on that occasion, when Pirelli provided C2-C4 tyres, Lewis Hamilton won with a two-stop strategy, starting on mediums and then cycling through the hard and soft. In the two wet races (2021 and 2022), Max won with an inter, medium, medium and an inter, medium, soft race.
03Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari: Track Layout & Key Features
Narrow, quick and mainly composed of high and medium speed corners, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari requires precision, commitment and no small amount of bravery. And as Max says, “Imola is an iconic track. It’s always interesting to race at a really old school track like this, as it is very technical, with some complex combinations of corners and braking zones.”
Sector 1 features the quick blast from the start-finish line to the first chicane, Tamburello, and the track’s only gilt-edged overtaking opportunity. From there, driver’s run down to the rapid flick through the Variante Villeneuve and which is quickly followed by the heavy braking, sharp left-hander of Tosa. Then you’re on your way up the steep incline towards Piratella and the start of the second sector. Here the track drops down though rapid Acque Minerali corners before the run up to the Variante Alta, the twin Rivazza corners and the circuit’s only DRS zone. The layout is one of the finest driving experiences in F1, but unless there’s a drop of rain, the tightness and lack of overtaking can keep the action on the low side.
