Analysis of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix brought to you by Bahrain International Circuit
F1 – McLaren arrived at the historic track in Imola hoping to continue their impressive recent form, not least their dominating 1-2 performance last time out in Miami.
Red Bull, on the other hand, were looking to take encouragement from their recent history at the circuit, which has seen Max Verstappen win three of the last for races here.
The sea of red known locally as the ‘Tifosi’, were perhaps hoping for something close to a miracle, given Ferrari’s recent form, but perhaps more realistic for the home fans would be a podium appearance for Kimi Antonelli, who has shown some strong early promise this season in the Mercedes alongside his teammate George Russell.
Before racing got underway at Imola, Alpine had been in the headlines, as firstly Oliver Oakes had stepped down as team principal, with Flavio Briatore, the team’s executive adviser, taking on his duties with immediate effect. Just a day later, the team also confirmed what had been a rumor in the Miami paddock that Franco Colapinto would replace Jack Doohan.
Back on track, with a one stop strategy generally accepted to be the preferred option, qualifying was as important as ever, given the difficulty in overtaking.
Over the course of the practice sessions, McLaren looked strong, putting both cars at the top of the times sheets for the Friday and the early Saturday practices.
Max Verstappen was closest behind in the quick runs in the final practice, although data simulations did suggest the current world champion would be right up there for the laps that would count on Saturday afternoon.
The first surprise in qualifying came when both Ferrari cars were knocked out in the second session and were more than a second off the pace compared to the pole time. It was a crushing blow for their home race. Up ahead, Piastri again showed his strength in qualifying under pressure, securing pole ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, who could only manage fourth. The Australian was a whisker ahead of Verstappen in second, with Russell and impressive third.
Fernando Alonso gave something for the Aston Martin fans to cheer about as a series of major upgrades for their car this weekend looked to be paying dividends as he qualified fifth. The two Williams cars of Sainz and Albon were sixth and seventh, with Stroll completing the top eight.
Max Verstappen got off to a dream start as the race got underway, overtaking Piastri at the first chicane. Further back, Norris managed to jump Russell, leaving the two McLarens a decent chunk of the race to find a way to overtake the flying Dutchman. Verstappen, however, had other ideas and, despite a pair of safety cars, delivered a dominant win.
Red Bull had bought what turned out to be an impressive aero upgrade to Imola, but that shouldn’t take away from his masterclass performance. By comparison, his teammate Tsunoda could only manage 10th place.
This left Piastri and Norris to fight for the other two podium places. The well-timed second safety car allowed Norris to stop for fresh tyres, whist Piasti had already used his allocation of suitable tyre options. As Norris chased down the other McLaren, there was some debate as to whether team orders should be issued, given that Norris would have had the better chance of catching Verstappen with his fresher rubber. The pair were cleared to race freely, producing an entertaining three lap battle, when Norris managed to make an overtake stick with five laps to go. The top three would remain that way, given Verstappen’s dominance up front.
Further back, there was something for the Tifosi to cheer for as Hamilton had opted for an alternative strategy to most, starting the race on hard tyres and run a long first stint. The combination of the timing of the safety car working in his favour and fresher tyres enabling him to overtake Albon, meant that he finished fourth, a pleasant surprise for the home fans given what had happened in qualifying. Having been overtaken by Hamilton, Albon managed to hold off Leclerc to finish fifth, with the Monegasque driver sixth, followed by Russell, Sainz and Hadjar.
This win was Verstappen’s second of the season, completing an impressive weekend for the World Champion. Again, McLaren will be asking themselves what they could have done differently to fend off the Dutchman, given their pace advantage, but at the same time the pattern shows that the class of Verstappen can do magical things.
F1 continues its early European summer tour with the unique glamour and challenge of Monaco next weekend. In a new initiative at the principality, cars will have to take two mandatory pit stops during the race, with the aim of adding an extra layer of excitement to the racing on a circuit where it is notoriously difficult to overtake.
* Laurence Jones is senior manager, Marketing and Communications, Bahrain International Circuit
l.jones@bic.com.bh
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