By Carlo Platella
A race with a very high emotional power takes place in Imola, on a Sunday afternoon that inflames the love for endurance and motorsport. To the collective disappointment in the stands for the lack of success of Ferrari contrasted with the superb performance of Kamui Kobayashi, with Toyota emerging victorious from a very tight battle with the same dominating Porsche in Qatar. Three different manufacturers will be protagonists in Imola and will probably be protagonists for the entire season.
Regret Ferrari
The home heroes' race ends at the foot of the podium, causing regret fueled even more by the awareness that the 499P at Imola was the car to beat. The gaps between the top manufacturers have never been particularly large, thanks to a BoP that is difficult to criticise. However, it is Toyota itself that recognizes the greater speed of the Reds in the dry, testimony to the good work done in Maranello to improve the set-up, also based on what was learned in the difficult trip to Qatar.
In the first phase of the race the Ferrari wall opts for an atypical triple stint on the same tyres, in anticipation of a rain that would arrive at any moment. It was therefore preferred to favor the position on the track to the detriment of a pace that remained excellent, in order to remain ready to return at the right moment. However, it is the same rain that deprives the Cavallino of a victory that is perfectly within reach.
Ferrari's decision not to return to fit wet tires stems from the incorrect information on what the duration of the rain would be. The track was also wet at times, making it difficult to judge which tire was the best at that moment. Evidence of this is the fact that several GT3s continued on slicks, which, although equipped with ABS and with tires of a completely different nature, confirm how uncertain the picture was at that moment. The positive comments reported by the drivers also weigh on Ferrari's decision, mislead you from a 499P which was very drivable at Imola, and made the tires work well, unlike a Toyota which instead induced Kobayashi to return. However, the Cavallino confirms itself at the level of its rivals and between now and the end of the year it will have the opportunity to derive its satisfaction from him.
Surprisingly, Toyota
The victory in Imola is yet another proof of why Toyota is world champion. In the dry the 499Ps proved to be slightly faster than the Japanese Hypercars, the only flaw for a team that has a lot to be happy about. The race pace expressed by the GR010 surprised Ferrari itself, who instead expected to have to deal first of all with Porsche after Saturday. In fact, both official 963s qualified ahead of the two Toyotas, which remained not particularly incisive on the flying lap.
The weekend's preparation was flawless, extracting all the possible potential from the car with the assigned BoP. However, limiting ourselves to the technical aspect is not enough to explain a victory from eighth position on the most difficult track for overtaking in the entire world championship. Above all, the human factor played a role in the victory at Imola, which fully emerges from the stints of Kamui Kobayashi.
It was the Japanese's decision to return when the rain arrived to fit wet tyres, and then put together an impressive sequence of fast laps under the water, well supported by a car that excels in aerodynamic downforce, traction and braking stability. Kobayashi doesn't give in even under the pressure of Estre's Porsche, when in the final he is forced to intense fuel savings, avoiding a refueling that would have cost the victory. Success is never thanks to the individual, but there is a lot of Kamui in Toyota's Imola celebration.
Porsche confirms
The second place finish of car #6, already dominant in Qatar, is proof of how the Porsches' ride in Lusail was not a flash in the pan. The superiority during the inaugural race had been emphasized by a track friendly to 963 and partly by a BoP that had not foreseen the progress made in the months before with the setup. In Imola, however, the official Penske-branded Porsches were close to Toyota and Ferrari, this time on a track which, with curbs to digest and violent braking, certainly he did not meet the car. The German company is now able to extract the potential from the package with more continuity, relaunching its bid for the world title.
The competition of others
The three big protagonists at Imola are Toyota, Porsche and Ferrari, essentially the manufacturers that already boast at least one year of experience in the premier class, with the exception of Cadillac and Peugeot. Precisely on the new 9X8, the Lion's drivers reported positive comments on many fronts, although tire management in the race was lower than expected. However, Peugeot is going through a learning phase with the new package, with the verdicts expected in the next races.
Among the new arrivals he stands out BMW, at times even fighting with the second Toyota. The Bavarian company can actually leverage a year of experience gained in IMSA, but for WRT this is still the debut season in the top class of the World Championship. Great progress also from the other Italians, Isotta Fraschini and Lamborghini, now less distant from the reference times and above all free from reliability problems, with the possibility of accumulating kilometers and accelerating the learning path. The long-term goal is to get to the top, where, however, space is already starting to get tight, with Toyota already joined by Porsche and Ferrari.
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