Aston Martin F1 upgrades may have made car «difficult to drive»
Aston’s major Imola update, which included a floor redesign, a front wing and diffuser, was shaken down by Fernando Alonso in FP1 before Lance Stroll also received the parts from FP2 onwards. However, on a weekend where rival teams also wheeled out new parts or further dialled in those from Miami, Aston’s upgrades may have delivered […]
Tearful Vettel ‘finishing Senna’s job’ with Austrian flag tribute at F1 Imola
This month marked the 30-year anniversary of Senna’s fatal accident at Imola on 1 May 1994, which came the day after Austrian Ratzenberger lost his life in a crash. The death of Ratzenberger, which itself followed a serious practice accident for Senna’s compatriot Rubens Barrichello, shook the Williams driver to the core at the time. […]
Ferrari power strategy cost shot at better F1 Imola GP result
The Italian squad had impressed in Friday practice but, in its preparations for qualifying, the team appeared to lack pace at the start of the lap relative to the cars ahead of it in the battle for pole position. GPS traces show that his Ferrari was between 3-4kph slower on the straights compared to the […]
Verstappen «almost ended in the grandstands» amid Imola F1 hard tyre struggles
Red Bull driver Verstappen narrowly edged McLaren’s Lando Norris after he gapped the Briton in the first stint on mediums, but struggled much more on the hard Pirelli rubber for the majority of Imola’s 63-lap race. Verstappen explained that he couldn’t keep the hard compound in the right operating window, which led to a lack […]
Verstappen wishes F1 had ’24 Imolas’, but the series has other plans
Imola, the site of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, has added additional gravel traps at Piratella, Acque Minerali and Variante Alta to help tackle the series’ recurring issues with track limits. It has also enhanced the circuit’s old-school feel, with its narrow yet challenging layout along with its many undulations and sudden direction changes. F1’s […]
Ferrari F1 upgrade expectations «completely out of reality»
Ferrari brought a comprehensive set of upgrades to its first of two home races, which it had shaken down during a filming day at Fiorano last week. The update covered a lot of areas on the car, including the floor, the wings, sidepod and engine cover, raising hopes of the Tifosi that, following McLaren’s leap […]
Piastri given three-place grid penalty at F1 Imola GP for impeding Magnussen
In Q1 Piastri blocked Haas driver Magnussen into the Tamburello complex on the Dane’s final flyer. The incident ruined Magnussen’s session, going out in 18th while team-mate Nico Hulkenberg advanced to Q3. Piastri said that he «didn’t see any cars coming» in his mirror because the main straight before Turn 2 curves to the left, […]
Aston Martin’s major F1 Imola upgrade a clue of «aggressive» development
Aston consolidated its spot at the top of the midfield but has so far generally been fifth fastest, some way behind fourth-placed team Mercedes. It hasn’t scaled the heights of its early 2023 run of podiums yet, and instead saw its performance levels fluctuate between various circuit conditions, with a curious discrepancy between qualifying and […]
What we learned in Friday practice for the 2024 F1 Imola Grand Prix
After the opening series of pan-continental flyaway rounds, the Formula 1 circus returned to its European heartland and descended upon Imola. One of F1’s returning classics after a lengthy spell away, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari took a rather popular step back in time. The scourge of vast and forgiving run-off had largely been […]