With the cancelation taking place last year fans are excited to see the track of Imola back in the Emila Romagna Grand Prix
The 2023 Gran Premio del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna (Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for short) was canceled because of the inundations happening in the region last year. In 2024 the Grand Prix is finally back, still with a slight chance of rain on Sunday. The track of Imola is a difficult one for overtaking but still one that does not disappoint. The famous Tifosi will be there at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari like they usually do. In addition, they will see their next year’s driver Lewis Hamilton before he joins the Red squad. Also, a very special track for F1’s latest race-winner Lando Norris as he looks particularly strong in the corners of Imola.
The first race in Europe also means most teams will start upgrading their package at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Perhaps, the Red Bull dominance could be challenged by Ferrari and McLaren or teams like Mercedes or Aston Martin could take a step up.
Is the first time the Tifosi will see Lewis Hamilton in action after his signing for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton had some interesting weeks after appearing next to Blackpink’s vocalist Rosé in a presentation in Seoul for the Korean luggage brand Rimowa and appearing in a full custom Burberry outfit for the Met Gala. Just after that, he will see the famous Tifosi who are counting the days to see him joining them.
Mercedes has even asked for him not to be visiting Ferrari during the weekend as he is still in contract with the Silver Arrows for the remainder of the season.
Lando Norris is a specialist in the track of Imola
Lando Norris achieved his second podium at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the only podium for McLaren in the 2022 season also on this track. After the momentum of his first race win in Miami, we might see a Lando Norris 2.0 fighting for big things on track.
We also cannot forget Oscar Piastri. With the same package of improvements Lando had in Miami he might be able to get a good result in the race and maybe even get another win for McLaren. Another Australian winning for McLaren on Italian soil after Daniel Ricciardo did it in Monza in 2021 could be a great display of power for the Papaya Army in front of the Tifosi.
Most teams bring their first major upgrades to this track
The budget cap made bringing upgrades to the car outside of European dates very difficult for teams. As such, major upgrades come as soon as F1 arrives in the old continent. This means we might see a change in the balance of power for the upcoming races.
We still have not seen the full FIA reports on all of the upgrades for each team. Ferrari and Aston Martin look like the ones making the biggest changes for this weekend.
This weekend and the next one in Monaco could be the deciding moments for the silly season
Williams confirmed the re-signing of Alexander Albon for the upcoming seasons. Nico Hulkenberg confirmed he is joining Sauber (Audi). Possibly, we might see other teams start closing their lineups for 2025 and 2026 in the following weekends. With most of the team’s personnel in Europe it’s the perfect time to start closing terms on contracts with drivers. We still have almost half of the grid not confirmed for 2025. A lot of rumors have sparked in the paddock lately, the latest one being Zhou Guanyu to replace Kevin Magnussen in Haas for 2025, this has not been confirmed.
The current seats available are; 1 available seat next to Max Verstappen (or even the Dutchman’s seat if he finally decides to leave) a single seat at Williams, Sauber, Mercedes and Aston Martin (We know with certainty Lance Stroll will most likely stay there) and two seats at RB, Alpine and Haas. This makes this one of the most potentially chaotic silly seasons we have seen in a very long time.
Last year the race was canceled for the inundations so we have barely seen the behaviour of the ground effect era cars on this track
Since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 2022, we have seen massive changes in Formula 1 cars. The ground effect era has developed since the teams are actually understanding how it works. Perhaps, this is a chance to see even more variability with most teams coming with massively different cars from the ones in early 2022. Most teams have changed their entire concepts during these regulations. From Ferrari and their “bathtubs” or Mercedes and the no-sidepods to sidepods evolution. Even total concept changes like the one Aston Martin made with the 2023 car after being joined by the aero designer Dan Fallows.
This weekend returns to the usual format, no sprint. Free Practice 1 and 2 on Friday. Free Practice 3 on Saturday before Qualifying and Race on Sunday. Old Fashioned track with old fashioned Schedule in the European timezone.
Guillermo Lorenzo Manzano
