By Carlo Platella
With the exception of Norris’s thrilling comeback on Verstappen at the end, it certainly cannot be said that the Imola race was full of emotions. The impression, however, is that the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is the prelude to a central part of the season of very high interest, with a potential three-way fight between Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari. The three cars have never been so close as after the latest updates, forcing the narration of the races to be adapted, which from the cars will focus increasingly on the human factor.
Question of details
Imola presents a similar picture to the one commented in Miami, with the teams from Maranello, Woking and Milton Keynes fighting for victory down to the smallest details. There are just 7 seconds separating Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc, changing perspective on race weekends. No more technical superiority of one project over the others, but a condition of general equilibrium where preparation and operations on the track make the difference.
“Weekend execution is always a key factor, especially with such small gaps,” comments McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella. “In qualifying the first three cars were within a tenth of a second. The way you treat the tires and execute the race makes the difference.” Something already learned in 2023, when from race to race Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren competed for the role of second force, with the difference that Red Bull is now part of the fight, putting first place up for grabs. The victory of the world champions in Imola stems from masterly management of the weekend, with the team capable of overturning the situation at the last minute before qualifying, after the thousand driving difficulties experienced in practice.
Qualifying execution will be another recurring theme this season. Imola is historically a difficult track for overtaking, but in general the days of Verstappen’s comebacks from the back are long gone, with the gaps becoming increasingly narrow. The same development is also increasingly dirtying the wake of the single-seaters, with an aerodynamic disturbance that is once again prohibitive for those who want to attempt an overtaking, as well as harmful for tire management. At the moment Ferrari is the car that will have to improve the most on the flying lapbut in addition to the updates, it will be valuable to seize every single opportunity, such as the trail exploited by Verstappen in the decisive lap on Saturday.
The race
The start is another of the many decisive factors in Imola. On the banks of the Santerno Verstappen defends the precious first position at the start, confirming his infallibility in the standing start, which denotes an excellent mix of reaction times, tire preparation and thrust from the power unit. From the Tamburello Variation onwards the world champion thus benefits from free air, showing off a higher pace on medium tires with a full tank of fuelquality of the RB20 already appreciated in the opening stages of the other races.
After the switch to hard tires Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc travel at identical paces, with fluctuating flashes of superiority from the three protagonists. The triggering cause lies in the temperature of the tyres, alternating phases of overheating with others of recovery. Initially it was Leclerc who made up for Norris, but once he got into dirty air the Monegasque was unable to land the shot. Charles also finds a certain difficulty in attacking the McLaren on the straighthypothesizing different electric power delivery strategies that add to the list of the many decisive factors of this challenge.
Leclerc’s long move at the Variante Gresini takes him further away from Norris, but after the attempted attack the Monegasque has now overheated the tires of the SF-24 and is starting to suffer from his pace. At the same time, McLaren itself comes back to life, thanks to the Briton’s patience at the start of the stint in not stressing the tires. “They are using the tires more than we do”, the reassurance of his race engineer under pressure from Ferrari. The McLaren standard-bearer thus managed to get back on Max Verstappen, but the comeback was completed one lap too late, when there was no more time to attack.
![Lando Norris (McLaren) engaged in qualifying for the 2024 Emilia Romagna GP](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2024/05/lando-norris-imola-mclaren-990x662.jpg)
Ferrari, eloquent disappointment
With Verstappen and Norris competing for victory, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari were content with third place. The disappointment perceptible among the fans is indicative of how the SF-24 is an increasingly convincing car, fueling growing hopes in the Cavallino supporters. The second consecutive 3rd place behind Red Bull and McLaren contrasts with an absolute gap from the top that has now been reduced to a minimum. “We are developing to sew up the last penny”, comments Vasseur.
Furthermore, the Team Principal’s belief that with a pole position Ferrari would have won, given the equivalence in race pace with its rivals, is more than acceptable. It should not be overlooked that Imola is not the most friendly track for the Red, as it finds it difficult to attack the high curbs of the variants. The same updates also aim to improve high-speed cornering, in the same area where McLaren has lost a bit of luster after the latest developments, while on the other hand acquiring competitiveness in medium-low mileage corners. So if Imola celebrates the latest innovations at the MCL38, we will have to wait for Barcelona to appreciate the progress of the SF-24.
![Charles Leclerc jumps over the curbs at the wheel of his SF-24 during qualifying for the 2024 Emilia Romagna GP](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2024/05/leclerc-cordoli-imola-990x662.jpg)
However, Vasseur encourages the team to continue accelerate the pace of development, underlining the need to intervene in the speed of production of new components. In such a close fight, logistics will also make the difference, as demonstrated by the new wind tunnel owned by McLaren, which speeds up development times. Imola therefore promises a season of very high interest, potentially with many close races. It will be said that the Romagna track is an atypical one and not indicative of the calendar, assuming that there are any, but the point is precisely that of a fight that will take on a different face each time based on the track and above all on the performance of the three challengers.
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