The legendary Imola circuit re-joined the F1 calendar for the first time in 14 years in 2020 as host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is set to take place on May 18.
1132nd F1 GRAND PRIX | 5th EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX | 32nd GRAND PRIX AT IMOLA
2024 POLESITTER: MAX VERSTAPPEN | 2024 WINNER: MAX VERSTAPPEN
2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday May 16
Free Practice 1 – 1:30pm Local Time / 12:30pm UK Time
Free Practice 2 – 5pm Local Time / 4pm UK Time
Saturday May 17
Free Practice 3 – 12:30pm Local Time / 11:30am UK Time
Qualifying – 4:00pm Local Time / 3:00pm UK Time
Sunday May 18
The 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – 3pm Local Time / 2pm UK Time
2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
Williams and Ferrari are currently tied at the teams with the most wins at Imola. A victory for either team at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix would see them extend the record to nine wins at the track.
If Max Verstappen leads 54 laps of the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he will overtake Ayrton Senna for the second-most laps led at Imola. Only Michael Schumacher sits ahead of Senna on the all-time list.
McLaren could become the first team to record ten pole positions at Imola this weekend. It would be the 14th time that a team has taken ten poles at a single circuit – and the sixth time that McLaren have done so.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST TIME?
Changes to the circuit since last year’s race will be posted here.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX?
It’s yet to be announced how many DRS zones there will be at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Last year, there was a single DRS zone. The activation zone was on the main straight, while the detection point was located 385m before Turn 17. There was also a single DRS zone in 2022.
IMOLA TRACK GUIDE
In 2020, Imola returned to the Formula 1 calendar after a 14-year absence. The former host of the San Marino Grand Prix witnessed triumph and tragedy in its first 26-year stint on the calendar.
Located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, the Imola circuit is near to Ferrari’s Maranello factory. The track was re-named Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Enzo Ferrari’s honour following his death in 1988. It had previously been given the name Autodromo Dino Ferrari in 1970, in memory of Enzo’s son Dino, who died in 1956. Enzo Ferrari was present when construction of the circuit began in 1950. The track has an affinity with the Tifosi, who showed up in their thousands to support Ferrari each time a race was held here.
Imola was opened for testing purposes in 1952, before racing started at the track in 1953. Ten years later, in 1963, Imola hosted its first race for Formula 1 cars. The race was won by Jim Clark, who lapped all but one driver. Over the next decade, further improvements would be made to the track, with facilities for spectators and revisions to the track layout. Now a permanent facility, rather than connected public and private roads, Formula 1 hosted a non-championship event at the circuit in 1979, titled the Dino Ferrari Grand Prix, which was won by Niki Lauda.
READ MORE IN OUR ULTIMATE TRACK GUIDE
WHO WILL BE IN THE 2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers ahead of the on-track action. The drivers appearing in the press conference for this race are yet to be announced.
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams in a separate press conference over the race weekend. The team members appearing in the press conference are yet to be announced.
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX?
Rui Marques will be the race director at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX?
Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend is yet to be announced.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2025 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX?
Pirelli have not yet announced which tyre compounds will be used at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The C3, C4 and C5 compounds were used in 2024.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX?
Coming under immense pressure from Norris in the closing stages, Verstappen clinched victory in the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by just seven tenths of a second.
After the 2023 race was cancelled due to local flooding, Formula 1 returned to Imola for the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Both Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez brought out the red flags with crashes in Free Practice 3.
Red Bull struggled to find rhythm through the practice sessions. While Perez exited in Q2, Max Verstappen was able to put it together when it mattered and secured pole position by just under a tenth of a second from the two McLaren drivers – the top three on the grid separated by 0.091 seconds. It was Verstappen’s eighth consecutive pole, equalling Ayrton Senna’s record on a weekend where the Brazilian’s legacy was celebrated 30 years on from his death.
Oscar Piastri dropped three places on the grid due to a penalty for impeding, leaving team-mate Lando Norris to line up alongside Verstappen on the front row. The top six remained in the order that they started on the opening lap – and for all of the first 20 laps of the race.
On Lap 9, Alex Albon slowed due to having a tyre incorrectly re-fitted at his pit stop, resulting in a ten-second time penalty. A few laps later, an off-track excursion for Perez cost him valuable time in the race, while Lewis Hamilton was another driver to scamper through the gravel before the race reached its halfway point.
The main excitement in the race came in the closing stages, when Norris began to reel in Verstappen, who had led for most of the Grand Prix. With Norris within five seconds of the Red Bull, Verstappen was under pressure to not exceed track limits and risk a time penalty.
With five laps to go, Norris was well within two seconds of Verstappen with the McLaren driver visibly pushing his car to the limits. Norris closed to within a second in the final laps but fell short of reaching Verstappen, crossing the line just 0.725 seconds after the Red Bull driver claimed victory. Charles Leclerc delighted the Tifosi with a third place on Ferrari’s home soil.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP AT THE EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting Imola in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.