Imola is here, and how is this only the seventh race of the season? I’m not moaning, by the way, but it feels like we are about halfway through. So, let’s have a look at some statistics for the Italian track. Imola has played host to 31 World Championship F1 races since first welcoming F1 for the 1980 Italian Grand Prix. The track length is 4.909 km, with 19 turns and a total of 63 laps in a race. The first 27 races were held from 1980 to 2006, and the track did not return to the calendar until 2020 to host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most wins at the circuit, and there are only three drivers currently on the grid who have won here: Hamilton, Alonso, and Verstappen. Lewis has held the lap record since 2020 with a time of 1:15.484. Williams and Ferrari share the record for most team victories at Imola, with both winning eight times each. From the last ten races at Imola, the average win margin has been 8.119 seconds, so let’s see if that was the case last weekend!
We are diving straight into qualifying, with it being rather eventful on Saturday and an introduction to Pirelli’s new tyre compound, the C6. It wasn’t long before the red flags came out for Yuki’s Red Bull, whose car was mangled after suffering a huge crash. It reminded me of a very similar crash to Zhou Guanyu’s at Silverstone a few years ago, where the car rolled upside down before hitting the barriers. Yuki was thankfully able to safely get out of the car. A few moments later, the red flag was cleared. Colapinto was noted entering the fast lane before he was supposed to. Alonso is looking good in his upgraded Aston Martin, and Max also put in a really good lap. However, we have yet another red flag, and unfortunately, it’s Colapinto who crashed after spinning at the exit of Tamburello, and that’s Q1 over. Lawson, Hülkenberg, Bearman, Ocon, and Tsunoda are out, and the start of Q2 is delayed, adding to the qualifying session’s length.
We then moved on to Q2, where a decision was made on Bearman’s lap. He felt he crossed the line before the red flag was shown and thus did not make it to Q2. Although Max put in two purple sectors, the McLarens again pushed him down the order. Gasly was unhappy as he felt he was impeded by an Aston Martin, but the real shock of Q2 was that both Ferraris were knocked out by Alonso and Stroll. Not only that, but Sainz went quickest in the Williams, and Gasly saved himself and went sixth, pushing Antonelli into the danger zone. Shortly after, Kimi, Hamilton, Leclerc, Bortoleto, and Colapinto were eliminated in Q2. Although there was a slight battle for pole in Q1, I had hoped for a surprise, especially after Sainz’s lap. However, it was again Piastri who took pole, followed by Max in second, whom I had hoped would get it. We then have Russell in third, Norris in fourth, Alonso in fifth, Sainz in sixth, Albon in seventh, Stroll in eighth, Hadjar in ninth, and Gasly completing the top ten.
Well, Red Bull managed to fix Yuki’s car, as he started from the pits for the race. As the lights went out, it was Piastri who got the better start, but he wasn’t ahead for long as Max executed a beautiful move by the exit of the Tamburello chicane and was leading the race. Hamilton, however, dropped to 13th, and Leclerc had climbed to ninth place by lap 3. A replay shows Russell was unhappy with Piastri’s defending, but I’ll be honest, I can’t see what the Australian did wrong. On lap 8, George was under threat from Norris, who just couldn’t get close enough to make a move; however, the McLaren driver blasted past him on lap 11. George’s next threat from behind was Aston Martin’s driver, Alonso. After a few drivers came in for tire changes, Alonso suffered a small incident on lap 14 when exiting the pits; there were flames on his left-hand wheel, but nothing too serious. Yuki was given an opportunity to prove himself as Max’s teammate when he was tasked with holding up Piastri.
Oscar easily gets past on the straight on lap 18. Meanwhile, a few laps later, Max is now nine seconds clear of Lando, currently in second place. Over at Mercedes on lap 23, Russell is having trouble with the rear of his car. A yellow flag on lap 29 is followed by a virtual safety car, due to Ocon pulling over onto the grass. This gave Max, Lando, and Albon the perfect opportunity to pit, while a not very happy Leclerc comes onto the radio venting about how he always gets screwed over by the safety car. Moving on to the second half of the race, the action doesn’t stop. Max’s lead has now extended to 18 seconds ahead of Lando; meanwhile, both Ferraris are making their way up the grid. On lap 40, Albon loses the last podium spot as he is overtaken by Piastri, which now means McLaren are in second and third. Later, on lap 46, we have a full safety car as, unfortunately, Antonelli’s race is over as he is seen driving very slowly. This means the whole grid will now come back together for a restart.
A few drivers headed in for pit stops, including race leader Max, while Piastri and an even more unhappy Leclerc did not come in, due to being informed that they only had soft tires left. After a fairly long safety car period, it finally came in on lap 53, and Max got a solid start and was already pulling away. Further into the race, Lewis made a move on his former teammate George and moved up into sixth place. One lap later, Norris made a move on his McLaren teammate, moving up into second place. Albon tried to make a move on Leclerc but ended up going off track, allowing Hamilton to pass both drivers. Leclerc ended up having to give the position back to Albon, and then we reached the final lap, where Max crossed the finish line first. Norris finished second, and Piastri finished third. Following them were Hamilton in fourth, Albon in fifth, Leclerc in sixth, Russell in seventh, Sainz in eighth, Hadjar in ninth, and Tsunoda in tenth.
Overall, I really enjoyed this race as it was captivating to watch from start to finish. I am so glad Max won! I am also glad that Norris got past Piastri toward the end, as I keep saying, but the closer the points are in the championship, the better, as it makes the season really exciting. I’m so happy for Williams being in the points again; it’s great to see them doing so well, and James Vowles is a brilliant team principal. I feel a bit sorry for Colapinto; I know he has had a lot of bad criticism this weekend, and I think it’s a bit unfair. I hope he proves everyone wrong this weekend. As for Tsunoda, I still think he has a lot to prove if he wants to keep that Red Bull seat; something isn’t quite working for him. Next, we have Monaco, and McLaren has revealed their livery, which is nothing special in my opinion. There is also a second mandatory tire change being introduced, which will keep things interesting. Will we get a red flag on lap one again, like last year?
Current Driver Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mercedes | 146 |
| 2 | Norris | GBR | McLaren Mercedes | 133 |
| 3 | Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 124 |
| 4 | Russell | GBR | Mercedes | 99 |
| 5 | Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 61 |
| 6 | Hamilton | GBR | Ferrari | 53 |
| 7 | Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes | 48 |
| 8 | Albon | THA | Williams Mercedes | 40 |
| 9 | Ocon | FRA | Haas Ferrari | 14 |
| 10 | Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 14 |
| 11 | Sainz | ESP | Williams Mercedes | 11 |
| 12 | Tsunoda | JPN | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 10 |
| 13 | Gasly | FRA | Alpine Renault | 7 |
| 14 | Hadjar | FRA | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 7 |
| 15 | Hulkenberg | GER | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 6 |
| 16 | Bearman | GBR | Haas Ferrari | 6 |
| 17 | Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 0 |
| 18 | Lawson | NZL | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 0 |
| 19 | Doohan | AUS | Alpine Renault | 0 |
| 20 | Bortoleto | BRA | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 0 |
| 21 | Colapinto | ARG | Alpine Renault | 0 |
What’s been your favourite race so far?
Amy x
littlemissminor.com 