By Neil Leverett
- Formula 1 season resumes this weekend for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola
- Ferrari favourites for third win in four as Red Bull play catch-up on Scuderia home soil
- Sprint qualifying returns for first of three outings after successful 2021 inauguration
IMOLA, ITALY – As Formula 1 returns to one of its most iconic venues this weekend, can Ferrari remain dominant at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
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Iconic Imola
After a fortnight’s break, Formula 1 speeds back into action this weekend for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.
Though purists are keen to embrace the circuit’s moniker of Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, F1 fans simply know this particular venue by its shorter name, one of the most iconic venues in sport.
Still infamous as the site of Ayrton Senna‘s tragic death in 1994, Imola has now taken its regular slot back on the calendar as the home of the Emilia Romagna GP, this year being held for the third time.
Of perhaps greater significance however, this year’s trip to Imola could be a special one, not only with Ferrari at the top of both the World Drivers’ and Constructors’ battles but with the home tifosi set to descend in numbers after the race was held behind closed doors last time out due to the pandemic.
Welcome back to Imola.
Scuderia return to delight tifosi
Despite Monza being regarded as Italy’s one true race of the season, Imola remains the home circuit of Ferrari which for this weekend at least could be quite the homecoming.
With Scuderia now back as one of the big players in F1, Charles Leclerc arrives with a sizeable 34-point advantage over Mercedes, but in the form of newcomer George Russell and not Lewis Hamilton.
With defending champion Max Verstappen still reeling from his second failure in three races, the Dutchman’s retirement in Melbourne further highlighted Red Bull’s power issues, with Verstappen already sitting 43 points off the top of the standings.
But despite everything in the the Italian garden appearing rosy, Mattia Binotto and his team must buck the trend of paltry returns on home soil.
Indeed, The Prancing Horse have claimed just a single win in Italy since 2011 – either in the previous two Emilia Romagna GPs or at the Temple of Speed – when it was Leclerc who took the chequered flag at Monza at 2019 in his first season in Italian red to jubilant scenes.
Starved of success on home soil, a now rejuvenated Ferrari may not be used to their favourites tag but will surely be spurred on by the packed and partisan stands this weekend.
However, with Verstappen victorious here last season after another cat-and-mouse pits battle with Hamilton, Red Bull will of course, have different plans.
Mercedes braced for further woe
Though the opening three races of the season have been quite the reality check for Mercedes, it is not all and doom for the Silver Arrows.
After eight years of dominance in the Constructors’ race, their 2022 edition is yet to register a win, however, after Russell added a P3 in Australia to Hamilton’s surprise podium finish in Bahrain also, Mercedes still sit in second behind the roaring Ferrari.
Mercedes could be in worse positions. Namely the one Verstappen finds himself in.
With hopes also that Mercedes could be set to turn a corner in terms of performance, that does not appear to be the case this weekend however, and as Mercedes Motorsport Strategy Director James Vowles acknowledged, Imola could again be another difficult weekend.
Speaking on Mercedes’ own YouTube channel Vowles explained that because the first Sprint of the season limits the number of practice sessions across the weekend, the team will less time to get a grip on their already problematic W13 car.
“Imola is going to be a challenging event.
“It is our first sprint race of the season, so unlike previous events where we had FP1, FP2 and FP3 really to get to grips with the car and test how we are going to improve the car performance, we now just have one free practice session and that free practice session dominates what happens in qualifying and in the race, so it is very limited in terms of what we can learn and what we can do.”
Sprint revs back
This weekend sees the return of Sprint qualifying – now merely referred to as ‘Sprint’ – with Imola taking over hosting duties from neighbouring Monza in the first of three events as Austria and Sao Paulo pace out the season to come.
Unlike last season’s inauguration however, this season will see points now awarded to the top eight finishers rather than just the top three.
Of further potential significance, the driver who sets the fastest time in qualifying will be credited as the official polesitter, with the winner of Sprint continuing to have the right to start the GP from first place on the grid.
As we saw in 2021, Sprint was more than just F1’s latest fan initiative to spice up race weekend and this season given the drastic grid shake-up the regulation changes have seen, fewer practice sessions will mean getting to grips with fresh track conditions faster could be pivotal.
With FP1 taking place on Friday morning, qualifying will continue with its late Friday slot. That will determine race classification for the 17-lap Sprint on Saturday, with FP2 taking place beforehand.
As much as the grid has already been switched-up this term, Imola could again shake things up once more.
Alpine sneaking up on rails
One of the stories of the early part of the season has been the continued rise of Alpine whose ambitions now appear far loftier than on first glance. Those aims will again be more than optimistic at Imola.
Indeed, with both Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon making Q3 last time out in Melbourne, the French manufacturer can feel more than a pinch of misfortune on leaving Australia two weeks ago with just a P7 to show.
In the case of Alonso in particular, the Spaniard was challenging not only for the front two rows in qualifying but for pole itself before hydraulics issues prevented even a lap being completed.
Starting then in 10th on the grid, the two-time former world champion again showed his fighting instincts to battle toward a high points finish before seeing his chances disappear via a Safety Car, slipping outside P10 and eventually going on to finish last.
Alonso may have been unable to add to his P9 in Bahrain on opening weekend, however, Ocon has now come home with two P7s, with a P6 sandwiched between in Jeddah.
Much like Ferrari have harnessed the regulations changes, Alpine appear to have built on a steady campaign in 2021, becoming somewhat of a dark horse to not only podium but as contenders for the top step on any given weekend this term – as Ocon did last summer in Hungary.
Though attentions this weekend at Imola will firmly be centred on Ferrari, could Alpine yet muscle their way into the narrative?
The Formula 1 Rolex Gran Premio Del Made in Italy E Dell’Emilia Romagna 2022 takes place at Imola this weekend.
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