As part of my writing course with ex-BBC sports journalist Saj Chowdhury, I was tasked with writing a short preview and guide to the next grand prix at Imola, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Below is the piece I put together, while it is short, I hope you enjoy it!
Formula 1 returns to one of the classic venues, Imola, for round four of the 2022 season with home-favourites Ferrari leading the way, following Charles Leclerc’s dominant win in Australia.
The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, named after the legendary Ferrari founder and his son Alfredo, nicknamed “Dino”, who died aged just 24, hosts a race for the third consecutive year, having re-joined the calendar in 2020 during the covid-19 pandemic.
The layout itself has undergone some significant changes over the years, most notably the addition of two chicanes following the 1994 race, where Austria’s Roland Ratzenberger and Brazilian, three-time world champion, Ayrton Senna, were killed in accidents that weekend.
The Tamburello and Villeneuve corners were fast and challenging but are now a pair of breaks in the charge from the pit-straight to the Tosa hairpin. This corner, with the grass banks creating a natural amphitheatre, will house the Tifosi, the fanatical Ferrari fans, who will cheer the scarlet cars every time they pass.
The track will favour a car with a good balance between straight line speed and agility through the chicanes. You will however need good traction for the drag up the hill from Acque Minerali, a tricky double right hander and from the Rivazza corners, which complete the lap.
With several big braking zones, which need to be nailed for perfect car positioning, stability and confidence on the brakes will be critical, something Mercedes porpoising issues has had a negative impact upon.
Red Bull have had the advantage in terms of straight-line performance and they will likely be the Scuderia’s closest challengers, so-long as they hold reliability.
Ferrari have looked strong in all departments so far in 2022 and it would be a surprise to not see them have one car on the front row, ahead of lights out on Sunday.