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.
| FIRST F1 RACE | 1980 |
| TRACK LENGTH | 3.050 miles |
| NUMBER OF LAPS | 63 |
| NUMBER OF TURNS | 17 |
| MOST POLES | Ayrton Senna (8) |
| MOST WINS | Michael Schumacher (7) |
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.
The success of the non-championship event ensured that Imola qualified to host a World Championship race in the following year. With Monza undergoing renovations, the Italian Grand Prix moved to Imola in 1980, which is the only time that the Italian Grand Prix has not been held at Monza in Formula 1’s history. Imola was a hit with drivers and fans and returned to the schedule in the following season, this time under the title of the San Marino Grand Prix.
The dangers of the Imola circuit were highlighted in a fiery crash for Gerhard Berger in 1989, but no one could have predicted the events of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend. After a heavy collision for Rubens Barrichello on Friday, Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying on Saturday before Ayrton Senna lost his life in the Grand Prix. The events of the weekend brought about massive changes to Formula 1 in the name of safety. Read more: Imola 1994 – The Full Story.
Changes were made to Imola’s track layout following the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The Tamburello corner was heavily modified and became a chicane rather than the fearsome flat out turn that it was previously, while another chicane – named Villeneuve – was added on the run to Tosa.
Formula 1 continued to race at Imola for the next twelve years, before the San Marino Grand Prix was removed from the calendar after the 2006 season. After a series of modernisations were made to the circuit in late 2006, the track operator filed for bankruptcy. Work was handed over to a new company named Formula Imola, but delays meant that no racing took place at the circuit in 2007.
The circuit re-opened in 2008, though Formula Imola went into administration due to the amount of money spent on modernising the venue. Another new company, Con-Ami, was handed rights to run the circuit in 2012 and Imola has had a steadier history since. After resurfacing work in 2011, Imola was re-awarded FIA Grade 1 status, meaning that it could, in theory, return to the Formula 1 calendar.
As a result of calendar changes due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Imola’s return to the calendar was confirmed on the 24th July 2020, alongside the addition of races in Germany and Portugal. The 2020 event was titled the ‘Emilia Romagna Grand Prix’. It was the third different title to be used for a World Championship event at the circuit. The 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was the third F1 race held in Italy in 2020. The United States is the only other country to have hosted three events in a single season, doing so in 1982.
The 2020 Imola race was a two-day event, with a single practice session before qualifying on Saturday. Tickets were sold for the race weekend, but three days before the event, it was confirmed that the race would be held behind closed doors due to increased government restrictions in the interest of public health. On 12th January 2021, it was confirmed that the Emilia Romagna would return once again, hosting the second round of the season.
Though Imola’s circuit layout is largely unchanged since the last San Marino Grand Prix in 2006, one notable difference is in the final sector of the track, where the Variante Basse has been removed. That means that the cars gain more speed on the main straight and approach Tamburello much faster than in the last San Marino race. Aside from revisions to the track layout, new paddock facilities and garages were built between F1’s visits in 2006 and 2020.
The event returned once again in 2022 as a replacement round for the Chinese Grand Prix. Imola’s longer term future on the Formula 1 calendar was secured in March 2022, with race organisers signing a contract to keep the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on the schedule until at least 2025.
The 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend was called off just days before it was set to begin due to flooding in the local area.
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IMOLA FAST FACTS
- Luca Badoer finished in the top eight only three times during his career, and he did so at Imola twice; at the 1993 and 1999 San Marino Grands Prix. His seventh place here in 1993 was the best result of his 50 race career.
- In 15 appearances at Imola, Michael Schumacher only ever finished first, second or retired. He won here seven times, finished as runner-up five times and retired three times. The 2020 race at Imola will be the first at the circuit to not feature the 7-time World Champion since 1991. Schumacher won four of the last five San Marino Grands Prix.
- Nelson Piquet was forced to miss the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix weekend following a crash in Friday Practice. For the rest of the year, Piquet visited doctors in secret after suffering from headaches and double vision, not telling the team or the FIA in fear that he wouldn’t be allowed to race.
- The 1982 San Marino Grand Prix, in which Didier Pironi, Gilles Villeneuve and Michele Alboreto finished in the top three, is the most recent podium result in which all of the top three drivers have since passed away.
- Carlos Reutemann and Didier Pironi were the only drivers to have scored on every visit to Imola during in its first stint on the calendar. Reutemann finished third in both 1980 and 1981, while Pironi finished fifth and sixth in 1980 and 1981 respectively and won the San Marino Grand Prix in 1982.
- In all of the first nine seasons in which a Formula 1 race was held at Imola, the driver who led the Drivers’ Championship after the race failed to go on and win the title that year.
- The 1989 San Marino Grand Prix holds the record for most cars entered into a Formula 1 race. 39 cars were entered into the event, but only 26 were permitted to start. One of the drivers who failed to qualify was Michele Alboreto, who recorded his first DNQ in eight years.
- On the weekend of his death, Ayrton Senna took his 65th and final pole position. It remained the record for most poles in Formula 1 until Michael Schumacher equalled it at the same track 12 years later.
- The first ever round of the GP2 series was held at Imola in 2005, as a support race on the Formula 1 San Marino Grand Prix weekend. The first race was won by future Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen. The series was re-branded in 2017 as the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
- The non-championship 1979 Dino Ferrari Grand Prix would mark Niki Lauda’s final appearance with the Brabham team. He quit the sport during practice for the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks later, before returning with McLaren in 1982.
2022 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX RECAP
Red Bull recorded their first 1-2 finish since 2016 on a damp weekend at Imola for the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Drivers did not have long to prepare for Friday qualifying, with Free Practice 1 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix being the first wet running of the 2022 season. Qualifying also began in damp conditions. Alex Albon was unable to set a competitive time after a fiery end to his session in Q1, while Carlos Sainz crashed out in Q2. A further three red flags followed in Q3 with Kevin Magnussen slipping off in the tricky track conditions, Valtteri Bottas coming to a stop on track and Lando Norris sliding off the circuit. The final red flag secured pole position for Max Verstappen for Saturday’s Sprint.
Charles Leclerc got ahead of Verstappen at the start of the Sprint, while Zhou Guanyu crashed out on the opening lap following contact with Pierre Gasly. Racing resumed after a Safety Car period and Sainz wasted little time making up for his Friday crash with an overtake on Fernando Alonso.
Despite his off track exploits in qualifying, Magnussen qualified an impressive fourth and held on to the position until eventually being passed by Sergio Perez on Lap 8. Perez then made another move on Lando Norris ahead, while the other McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo passed Magnussen for fifth place. Sainz’s comeback continued as he overtook Magnussen and Ricciardo. Verstappen closed in on leader Leclerc in the closing stages, eventually passing the Ferrari at the start of the penultimate lap.
There were further damp conditions on Sunday, where Verstappen managed to stay ahead at the beginning of the race. It was a poor start from Leclerc, who was passed by both Perez and Norris before the opening chicane. At the chicane, Ricciardo and Sainz made contact leaving the Ferrari stuck in the gravel trap. Alonso retired from the race with bodywork damage after a handful of laps. Leclerc took back third position from Norris while Magnussen was embroiled in a battle for fifth place with George Russell.
Following pit stops for Leclerc and Perez, Leclerc got ahead of the Red Bull. However, with warmed up tyres, Perez made short work of re-passing the Ferrari. On Lap 53, Leclerc took a little too much kerb and made contact with the wall at the Variante Alta. He was able to continue, but front wing damage necessitated a pit stop and he finished only sixth.
Verstappen was unchallenged for victory, with Red Bull taking their first 1-2 result since the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix. Leclerc’s troubles allowed Norris to creep into the podium positions. This would be the only time in 2022 that a driver for a team other than Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes would finish in the top three.
2021 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX RECAP
Lewis Hamilton took a 99th pole, but it was Max Verstappen who would secure the win at a wet Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as the title battle heated up at Imola.
Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole position of the season at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Lando Norris put in a great lap at the end of Q3 to go second fastest, but his lap time was deleted as he exceeded track limits. Instead, Sergio Perez started alongside Hamilton on the front row, recording the first front row start of his career. Yuki Tsunoda crashed out in Q1, meaning that he would start from the back of the grid.
Rain fell before the race start on Sunday. There were a number of incidents as the drivers made their way to the grid – including Fernando Alonso sliding off the circuit and damaging his front wing. Things were just as slippery on the Formation Lap, as Charles Leclerc proved with a spin in his Ferrari.
As the lights went out, Max Verstappen made a lightning start from third on the grid and barged his way past Hamilton at the first turn. Hamilton was forced to travel over the kerb, slightly damaging his Mercedes. The Safety Car was called out after Nicholas Latifi crashed out of the race having made contact with Nikita Mazepin.
Under Safety Car conditions, Mick Schumacher ran into the wall at the pit exit, but was able to pit for a new wing when the pit lane re-opened two laps later. Verstappen led the field away at the restart as Hamilton made a futile effort to re-take the lead.
Norris made his way through the field and was soon on the tail of his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian moved over and allowed the sister McLaren into fifth. As Perez picked up a time penalty for overtaking under Safety Car conditions, Verstappen was first of the frontrunners to stop for dry tyres. Hamilton came in one lap later, but a slow stop meant he was unable to make the overcut work.
Just two laps later, Hamilton found himself sliding off the track when attempting to pass George Russell’s Williams. The reigning champion took off his front wing and, after a lengthy delay, was able to find reverse and re-join the race in ninth place. Russell was out of the race on the next lap after making heavy contact with the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. An angry altercation ensued between the pair, and the Red Flags were shown in order to clear debris from their crash.
Verstappen led the order at the restart, from Charles Leclerc, Norris, Perez and Carlos Sainz. A rolling start was held when the race got back underway, with Verstappen suffering a half spin but maintaining his lead. Norris overtook Leclerc for second place, while Tsunoda spun off further down the order. Perez compounded a bad day as he span off in his Red Bull. The Mexican would ultimately finish outside of the points.
Hamilton scythed through the field back into the podium positions. After spending a few laps tucked behind the McLaren, Hamilton made his move on Norris to take second place. It was too late for Hamilton to attempt to catch Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver taking his first win of the season by 22 seconds. Norris finished in third place and was voted Driver of the Day.
Sebastian Vettel – who had started from the pit lane following brake issues – was the fourth and final retirement of the race. After the chequered flag, a number of penalties were handed out. Lance Stroll dropped to eighth having made an illegal overtaking manoeuvre, while Kimi Raikkonen – who finished ninth on the road – dropped out of the points following a Safety Car restart infraction.
2020 EMILIA ROMAGNA GP RECAP
After a 14 year absence Formula 1 returned to Imola for the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Mercedes secured a record-breaking seventh consecutive Constructors’ Championship with Lewis Hamilton leading home team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Formula 1 returned to Imola for the first time since the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix. The race weekend had a slightly different format and was a two-day event. Friday practice was scrapped, with a single 90 minute practice session on Saturday morning.
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap time in practice, but it was Valtteri Bottas who took pole position. Bottas maintained the lead at the start, but team-mate Hamilton was swamped by a number of other cars, allowing Max Verstappen to rise into second place. Just nine laps into the race, Pierre Gasly – who had qualified in an impressive fourth – was forced into retirement due to engine issues.
Bottas pitted from the lead on Lap 20, with the Finn later being told that he had sustained damage to his floor. Verstappen loomed large in Bottas’ mirrors, but was unable to find a way past. With Esteban Ocon coming to a stop at the side of the track, the Virtual Safety Car was called out. It was superb timing for Hamilton, who was able to pit without losing as much time to his team-mate.
When racing resumed, Bottas ran wide at the final turn, allowing Verstappen to close in once again. Verstappen made the move into second place – but it wasn’t long until the Red Bull driver was facing his own problems. He retired after spinning off due to a puncture. The Safety Car was called out and there was further drama for George Russell who, on course for a strong result, crashed out behind the Safety Car.
Yet more action followed as the Safety Car returned to the pits. With five laps remaining, Alex Albon spun while defending from Sergio Perez. He fell to the back of the field as a result and was lucky to not be collected as the rest of the drivers raced by. Daniil Kvyat salvaged AlphaTauri’s day by finishing in fourth place, after a fine overtake on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
It was an easy ride home for Mercedes. Hamilton won the race, and with Bottas finishing in second place, the team secured a record-breaking seventh successive title. Daniel Ricciardo completed the podium, finishing in third place for Renault.
IMOLA WINNERS AND POLESITTERS
| Year | Polesitter | Team On Pole | Winner | Winning Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| 1981 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| 1982 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | Didier Pironi | Ferrari |
| 1983 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari |
| 1984 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| 1985 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | Elio de Angelis | Lotus |
| 1986 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| 1987 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| 1988 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| 1989 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| 1990 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| 1991 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| 1992 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| 1993 | Alain Prost | Williams | Alain Prost | Williams |
| 1994 | Ayrton Senna | Williams | Michael Schumacher | Benetton |
| 1995 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | Damon Hill | Williams |
| 1996 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Damon Hill | Williams |
| 1997 | Jacques Villeneuve | Williams | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Williams |
| 1998 | David Coulthard | McLaren | David Coulthard | McLaren |
| 1999 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2000 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2001 | David Coulthard | McLaren | Ralf Schumacher | Williams |
| 2002 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2003 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2004 | Jenson Button | BAR Honda | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2005 | Kimi Raikkonen | McLaren | Fernando Alonso | Renault |
| 2006 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari |
| 2020 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2021 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2022 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2024 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |