30 years have passed since the unfortunate deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna during the San Marino Grand Prix of 1994 at the now infamous Imola Circuit, or Autódromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, as it is officially know. In 2024, Formula One is still racing in Imola as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, on albeit, a slightly different configuration of the circuit. Regardless, this race weekend felt very fitting as the world of Formula One, including multiple World Champion Sebastian Vettel with an emotional on track tribute, came together to remember the lives of Ratzenberger and Senna, in what was probably one of the only few memorable moments of the weekend.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was shaping up to be a good one, with Red Bull’s struggles over the course of the three practice sessions capturing the attention of fans old and new. Ferrari had pace, as did McLaren but alas, out of no where Red Bull returned, with Max Verstappen taking pole position and the race win after leading from start to finish.
The opening laps of the race may have felt like a drag to some, with not much happening in regards to on-track battles and yellow flags. But, come mid-race it was ramping up. After clashing in Miami, it was time for Carlos Sainz v Oscar Piastri 2.0. However, with the latter unable to get up close behind the Ferrari, the battle was short lived before Piastri used the undercut to jump Sainz in the pits instead. And, then there was Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg. Both with impressive performances so far over the weekend, they kept it up with some brilliant overtakes, in unexpected places, before finishing 10th and 11th respectively. A shame, as both deserved plenty more dosh for their efforts in cars that aren’t exactly scoring points every race. However, the big, intense, climatic, on edge battle came in the final few laps, as a struggling Lando Norris, running in second at the time, found some extra juice to challenge an also struggling Verstappen for the win. With both drivers running on worn hard tyres, it wasn’t much of surprise to see both of them unable to push them to the maximum in the latter stages. But, with Verstappen’s issue ranging from tyres to how the car handled, Norris quickly regained his lost ground to the reigning World Champion, eventually crossing the finish line less than one second behind the Red Bull. Alas, like every race, we ran out of laps. Oh, what could have been for young Lando, only one race since his first and most recent win in Formula One.
For many, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix turned out to be sixty three laps of pure frustration, with the Williams of Alexander Albon taking the brunt of the pain after a botch first pit stop saw his tyres fitted incorrectly. After trundling around back to the pits, the problem was rectified and he was on his way. Unfortunately, a ten second penalty and damage sustained from the initial pit stop, put an end to his day and his misery in Imola as he failed to finish for the second time this season. As for the others, there was plenty of off-roading, with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc taking to the gravel traps and run off areas. Verstappen, on the other hand, would receive a black and white flag for track limits, waking viewers up who may have nodded off during the slow opening laps.
One of the more interesting aspects to come out of Imola was the performance of Fernando Alonso when compared to his teammate; Lance Stroll. F1 aficionados will be well aware that, as Alonso’s teammate, Stroll has failed on several occasions to reach the same level as the most experienced driver on the grid in 2024. In Imola, the tables had turned. With crashes, mistakes and mechanical issues - resulting in an eventual race retirement, plaguing Alonso’s weekend, Stroll took advantage to be the better Aston Martin driver. Although, not the most amazing race for Stroll, after making several passes, not too dissimilar to the ones made by Tsunoda and Hulkenberg, Stroll finished in 9th, scoring his first points since Australia.
It's almost painful to describe this year’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as mediocre. An anti climatic affair after some intriguing practice sessions. Regardless, the old-school and nostalgic feel of Imola is something long-time F1 fans yearn for. But, with the slow paced race and not much opportunity for an overtake, you can’t help but think Formula One has outgrown tracks like these. It’s a shame, because it’s F1 history and old-school tracks are far more superior than a flashy, high-end street circuit. Talking of street circuits, next up is Monaco! Another gem full of motorsport history.
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