F1 | Pirelli, debut of the soft compounds in Imola: C3, C4 and C5

The Formula 1 World Championship returns to Europe more than eight months after the last Grand Prix held in the Old Continent and does so in the country, Italy, where the last race was held, in Monza last year September 3. After all, Italy is the country that has hosted the most Grands Prix (105) valid for the highest automotive competition, of which 30 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola.

What will be staged over the weekend will be the fourth edition of the Emilia-Romagna and Made in Italy Grand Prix, a name used from 2020 to 2022: last year the race was canceled due to the flood that hit large areas of the region, causing victims and devastation.

For the seventh round of the season, Pirelli has selected the softest trio of dry compounds: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium, C5 as Soft. It is the same choice planned for last year but which could not be put to the test due to the aforementioned cancellation of the race: it will therefore be the debut of this trio on the Emilian track, given that the 2022 selection was made up of C2, C3 and C4.

Imola is one of the historic tracks remaining in the world championship calendar and is known for being very technical, enhancing the talent of the drivers who have to deal with rather complex combinations of corners and braking sections. Enzo Ferrari – in whose memory the circuit has been named since 1988, after being named in memory of his son Dino since 1957 – was one of the promoters of the project for a circuit to be built on the hills around the Emilian city and defined it as a sort of “small Nürburgring”.

The route is not particularly severe in terms of forces exerted on the tires and the asphalt also remains relatively abrasive, despite the fact that the last resurfacing, which affected approximately 70% of the almost five kilometers of length, dates back to 2011. Thanks to a quite intense, even during the Grand Prix weekend, the road surface offers a good level of grip which increases as the cars go around the track.

Made up of 19 curves (10 on the left, 9 on the right) and characterized by a significant altimetric variation – thirty meters of difference between the highest and lowest point – the track has a rather narrow road surface and only has one DRS zone , factors that certainly make overtaking not easy. The result of the qualifying sessions will therefore be decisive for that of the race: it is no coincidence that no one has ever imposed himself on this circuit by starting beyond fifth position on the starting grid and that 19 times out of 30 whoever passed under the checkered flag first he started from the front row.

The choice to have the three softest compounds on paper will offer more options in terms of pit stops for a race which, traditionally, includes only one pit stop for a tire change, also because the time lost in the pit lane is one of the highest of the entire world championship calendar. Also to be taken into consideration is the high possibility of having neutralizations, an eventuality that has occurred in more than 70% of the races held in Imola so far. Among the small changes recently made to the route, mention should be made of the reintroduction of gravel outside the Acque Minerali, which will make going off the track at that point much more penalizing.

There are thirty races held on the banks of the Santerno, the river that flows next to the circuit. The current one is the third title that accompanies the Imola race. In 1980, the debut was as the Italian Grand Prix for the only edition of the Italian race ever held away from its historic home, the Monza Autodrome, while from 1981 to 2006 Formula 1 raced in Emilia under the flag of nearby Republic of San Marino. In the troubled year of COVID, the top automotive competition found hospitality in Imola as the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, to whose name the Made in Italy name was added the following year.

Of the 20 drivers registered for this year’s event, only one, Fernando Alonso, raced in Imola when the race was held as the San Marino Grand Prix: the Spaniard achieved success in 2005 at the end of an exhilarating duel with Michael Schumacher, repeated the following year but with a reversed order of arrival. The German is the most victorious driver having won seven victories (six with Ferrari, one with Benetton) while two teams – Williams and Ferrari – share the record of victories (8). As far as pole positions are concerned, here the record goes to Ayrton Senna, who achieved 8 of them, including the last one, precisely on April 30th thirty years ago on a day marred by the death of the Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger. The following day, May 1st, the same fate befell Ayrton in one of the most tragic weekends in the history of the top motor racing competition, whose memory will still be remembered this weekend in a series of events organized by the promoter and the entire Formula 1 family.

Minimum pressures at the start (slick tyres)

Front: 25.0 psi
Rear: 21.5 psi

Maximum camber

Front: -3.00°
Rear: -1.75°