Formula 1 returns from a weekend off and goes from new to old as Imola hosts the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for what may be the final time.
The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari has played host to memorable moments down the years as well as the darkest day in F1’s history but, on the week the championship celebrates its 75th anniversary, it faces its last race with no contract for next year and beyond in place.
Oscar Piastri enters the weekend on top in the drivers’ standings after victory at the Miami Grand Prix but he and McLaren arrive at a circuit dominated by one driver over the past three events at the circuit. Can Max Verstappen get back to winning ways for Red Bull?
Piastri may have won yet again in Miami to stretch his lead at the top of the table to 16 points over team-mate Lando Norris, but there was enough in the Briton’s performance in the United States to believe he had turned a corner from his struggles in the Japan-Bahrain-Saudi Arabia triple-header.
Norris won the sprint, albeit with a hint of luck given the timing of a safety car and the crossover from intermediates to dry tyres, and then had pace in the grand prix. His issue was in getting past Verstappen, losing far more time behind the Dutchman than Piastri had beforehand.
But with his ‘off-period’ far from a disaster and Piastri‘s gap far from excessive at this stage of the campaign, Norris should be confident he can start to reel the Australian back towards him.
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That’s not to say that Piastri is incapable of winning himself. Indeed, he is the winning-most driver on the grid so far a quarter of the way into the season and has hardly put a foot wrong since his off at the Australian Grand Prix. His performance mean that if he is to be beaten, it will be more about what his rivals do rather than any mistakes he will make.
But for McLaren, Imola presents a similar challenge to Japan. A narrow, old-school circuit where overtaking will come at a premium and qualifying may well be key to victory. If that is the case, Verstappen and Red Bull could return to the top of the timesheets.
Verstappen needs a positive result
The four-time world champion has taken pole at three of the last four grand prix and at Suzuka in particular, he was able to dictate from the front knowing that overtaking was hard to come by. A similar layout with just one DRS zone, albeit more effective, gives him a chance of arresting Piastri’s recent dominance.
Updates are being added to the RB21 in the hope of an improvement for the team as reports from Austria suggest Christian Horner, who celebrates his 400th F1 race this weekend, could be given marching orders should a step forward not be taken. Reports elsewhere have contradicted that sentiment, only adding to the tumultuous 18 months Red Bull has experienced.
Elsewhere, Mercedes will be hoping to continue its strong start to the year and keep adding to its points haul with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who will compete on home soil in F1 for the first time. The 18-year-old crashed in practice at Monza last season but any worries have largely been thrown out of the window given his start across the first six race weekends.
While Russell has kept adding podiums to his fine season, the Brackley-based outfit will now hope to begin bridging the gap to McLaren in front, having finished 33 seconds behind second-placed Norris in Miami.
While good weather is predicted for the weekend, temperatures are some-way cooler than Saudi Arabia and Miami and should give Mercedes encouragement that a good performance will be possible.
Ferrari‘s form is difficult to read given the contrasting fortunes of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in recent races. Qualifying is particularly in favour of the Monegasque but in the grand prix last time, strategy saw both drivers converge in the second half of the race.
That brought out the worst of the Scuderia as the pitwall dithered over whether to swap positions – the situation eventually turning into a mess. While the championships may be off the table given the team’s poor start, team principal Fred Vasseur will now be hoping any repeat issues with communication and strategy can be eradicated to ensure even mid-top-10 finishes are maximised, rather than points being left on the table.
Alpine Drama Plays Out at Imola
There’s drama down at Alpine after team principal Oliver Oakes resigned from his post, leaving Flavio Briatore to take over at the helm.
That news pre-empted the decision to drop Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto, who makes his Alpine debut at Imola – the first of five races he has to put his name forward for a permanent spot in the team.
Yet more instability is far from what the Enstone-and-Viry-based outfit needs, especially building towards 2026’s new regulations, but how those trackside react and push forward after what has been a promising start to the year on Pierre Gasly‘s side of the garage at least will be a test of character.
Imola will be a first for F1 as Pirelli’s new C6 compound makes its debut. The softest compound in the Italian manufacturer’s range will be used for the first time on the cars after nobody ran it across the pre-season test in Bahrain.
Pirelli has made the C4 and C5 available as the hard and medium compounds on the less-abrasive track surface, with the C6 also getting a run-out at the Monaco and Canadian Grand Prix.
It is unlikely that the tyre will be seen in the race, but grip for qualifying should be at a season’s best. The unknown presented could add a further twist to what will already be a vital qualifying session at Imola – who will cope with change the best?
