Imola
The historical Imola circuit is set to host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on 24th April as F1 returns after a short break
After three enthralling races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Melbourne, the F1 action moves to Italy for the first race in Europe this season. The Grand Prix will take place in Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, commonly known as ‘Imola’, after the town in which it is located. The circuit is named after Ferrari’s late founder Enzo Ferrari and his son Alfredo ‘Dino’ Ferrari. It is an FIA Grade One licensed circuit.
The unique feature of the track in Imola is that it is one of the very few international circuits to run in an anti-clockwise direction. It has a total length of 4.909 kilometres including 19 turns. The circuit was first opened to the public in 1953 and supports a total capacity of 78,000 people. The circuit has undergone major revisions since 2007 and is quite different from its older version. The old pit garages and paddocks have been demolished and completely rebuilt while the pit lane has been extended and resurfaced.
Faster timings have been recorded in the revamped circuit. The official lap record for the current Grand Prix Circuit layout is 1:15.484 set by Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
The Imola circuit has recently extended its hosting rights and will be on the F1 calendar at least till 2025. Imola’s first F1 event was the Italian Grand Prix in 1980 and then became the venue of the San Marino Grand Prix from 1981 to 2006. The circuit made a return to F1 as the venue for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 2020. Imola is one of the two Italian venues in F1 – Monza hosts the Italian Grand Prix.
This definitely promises to be a thrilling Grand Prix. Ferrari will definitely be excited at the prospect of racing on home turf with the added boost of sitting on top of both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championship. Both Ferrari drivers are expected to well and would aim for a double-podium finish.
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