There has been several memorable F1 races at Imola across the years, but which one stands out? 🤔 Following the cancellation of this weekend’s event due to tragic flooding, it is time to reflect on Imola’s history in grand prix racing ⬇️
Formula 1's inaugural visit to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in 1980 began an unbroken 27-year run on the calendar for Italy's 'other' circuit, before it dropped off the schedule in 2006. But the onset of the COVID pandemic and an increased demand for European venues to meet F1's required quota of events for 2020 prompted a return, with Imola proving a popular addition to the calendar for a generation of drivers that largely missed out on it first time around.
His Lotus-Renault team-mate was the great Ayrton Senna, fresh off his maiden F1 victory at Estoril. Senna claimed pole position but warned: “Pole isn't so important here. It will be hard on brakes and fuel consumption.” Johansson’s demise handed the lead to Prost, who short-shifted around the final laps to claim victory – or so he thought! Prost’s car ran out of fuel at Variante Alta on the slowing-down lap and was found to be 2kg under the weight limit in post-race scrutineering.
The result was a crushing gain in performance for Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, with the McLaren drivers around a second and a half per lap quicker than third-placed Mansell in qualifying. They then lapped the entire field in the race, as Senna converted pole into a 40-second victory over Prost. Home racer Alessandro Nannini completed the podium in the colourful Anglo-Italian Benetton.
In a race of remarkable attrition, Lotus drivers Mika Hakkinen and Julian Bailey scored the team's first points following its reboot under new ownership in fifth and sixth - having started 25th and 26th on the grid. That was despite gear selection problems which meant Bailey revved his Judd V8 to 15,500rpm on lap one and later caused a spin at Acque Minerali.
Two laps down in fourth was home hero Pierluigi Martini's Minardi, but there was still time for one last heartbreak for Modena Lamborghini driver Eric Van de Poele. The Belgian had just squeaked through pre-qualifying in fourth, 0.188s ahead of Lehto's team-mate Emanuele Pirro, and made it onto the grid in a very respectable 21st position.
Villeneuve's drop to third had been exacerbated by an ailing gearbox, and his mid-race departure produced a duel between the Germans for the lead. While Frentzen had been pulling away from Schumacher with a clutch of quick laps around the three-mile course, he had one more stop to make - and a less-than-rapid execution from the Williams pitcrew gave Ferrari and Schumacher a glimmer of hope. The 6.
Once those were done, Schumacher was behind only Alonso and the F2005’s nose was up behind the R25’s gearbox with 11 laps to go. It seemed inevitable that the seven-time world champion would force his way past the then 23-year-old in only his 54th F1 start.
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