SATURDAY, 31st October 2020
ROUND 13: EMIRATES GRAN PREMIO DELL'EMILIA ROMAGNA 2020
Brief History
Imola – or the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari as it is popularly known, has been a host to 27 Formula 1 races from 1981 to 2006. Since the Italian Grand Prix was always held in Monza, the race at Imola was christened the San Marino Grand Prix.
Michael Schumacher has the maximum number of Formula 1 wins so far at Imola - 7 to his name. Williams and Ferrari hold the maximum number of constructor wins at Imola - 8 each (ironically neither constructor looks in a position of strong contention in 2020)
Circuit Stats
The Imola circuit is an entirely anticlockwise circuit comprising of 19 turns - 10 to the left and 9 to the right.
Lap distance - 4.909 km
No. of laps - 63
Total Racing Distance - 309.049 kms
INTERESTING FACTS:
Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN is the only man on the grid who has raced at Imola before.
Italy has hosted at least one championship race every year, making it the only country to have hosted 100 world championship races!
FIA UPDATE for Emilia Romagna Grand Prix:
Before: The white line defines the track limit at every turn on the track.
After: Track limits at Turn 13 relaxed to the red and green kerb due to 15 lap time deletions in the practice session. (At all other turns, the white line is the track limit on either side)
What Drivers Need to Watch Out For
Narrow Track: Only 10 track passes have happened in the last 6 Grand Prix, making this track non-conducive for overtaking. It also means drivers need to watch out for track limits at high speed turns such as turns 9, 15 and 18.
Tyre Temperature: Imola is a cooler track and drivers will struggle to maintain tyre temperature for pace and grip at high speed turns.
Max Verstappen's Red Bull looks extremely close to the two Mercedes cars this evening. His blistering pace during the practice session is keeping Hamilton and Bottas on their toes.
QUALIFYING RESULTS
Q1 Results:
P16: Romain GROSJEAN
P17: Kevin MAGNUSSEN
P18: Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN
P19: Nicholas LATIFI
P20: Antonio GIOVINAZZI
Q2 Results:
Max VERSTAPPEN faces engine issues but Red Bull fix his engine in a matter of minutes and give him one lap to save himself and he goes 6th fastest
Pierre Gasly continues his streak of impressive performances and goes 5th fastest
Sebastian Vettel struggles for pace in his Ferrari, putting him at a disappointing P14
Racing Point struggle as well getting eliminated in Q2
P11: Sergio PEREZ
P12: Esteban OCON
P13: George RUSSELL
P14: Sebastian VETTEL
P15: Lance STROLL
Q3 Results:
Valtteri Bottas snatches pole from Lewis Hamilton, with a gap of 0.097 secs in a beautiful flying lap!
Gasly equals his career best start of P4 from 2019
P1: Valtteri BOTTAS
P2: Lewis HAMILTON
P3: Max VERSTAPPEN
P4: Pierre GASLY
P5: Daniel RICCIARDO
P6: Alexander ALBON
P7: Charles LECLERC
P8: Daniil KVYAT
P9: Lando NORRIS
P10: Carlos SAINZ
Who will grab the chequered flag first at the race tomorrow? Tell us what you think in your comments below.
All pictures used in this post are the courtesy of the Formula 1 website and Instagram page.