Credit: Oracle Red Bull Racing
Everytime F1 heads back to Imola, I always get nostalgia from returning to a track that was a part of races I watched growing up. It may not always have the highest volume of overtakes, but it's a track that is tricky and tests the drivers.
A number of teams had brought upgrade packages for this race weekend, which we've seen have played a significant factor in enhancing any team's performance, like McLaren in Miami. Whilst they worked well for some teams, others didn't see much differences in performance or even worse, they fell behind other competitors.
Whilst a large majority of the race itself didn't see a large volume of action, the final stages of the race really brought the suspense and excitement to a high in what has become a rare battle for the lead of the race against Max Verstappen's Red Bull.
So with all that said, here's my thoughts for the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix!
Vettel's Return to Pay Tribute to Senna and Ratzenberger
Before even talking about the race itself, there was another special moment that took place before the race weekend.
On the Thursday prior, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel organised an event on behalf of the Senna Foundation for a track run around Imola, which drivers from F1, F2 and F3 would take part in. The run would see them stop at key points of the track, the Variante Tamburello and the Variante Villneuve, where Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger sadly lost their lives in 1994 after crashing in these respective corners.
With shirts made for each driver, adorned in yellow and green to remember Senna, touching speeches from Vettel, and padlocks for the drivers to attach to the barriers of those two corners, it was a lovely tribute to two great drivers.
To top it all off, Vettel would take the McLaren MP4/8 out for a lap around the Imola circuit in the presence of the Tifosi and a further tribute to Senna in a car that he drove to claim five victories with. Before the end, Vettel would hold both the Brazillian and Austrian flag out in rememberance to the two drivers who lost their lives all too soon.
Being born in 1997, I didn't grow up watching either of these two raced. I didn't see first-hand the brilliance and magic of Senna's drive. I didn't see Ratzenberger's journey to F1 and the determination he had in getting there. Whilst I know about them now, I would have loved to see live and in my eyes just how good they were.
I didn't need to see it to know how much they meant to F1 drivers, teams and fans. The support and love they received and continues to receive is amazing and it is fully deserved. We will never forget either of them, and this tribute from Vettel and F1 is an example of this.
Red Bull Won, But Only Just...
A familiar sight we have become accustomed to in F1 recently in Max Verstappen winning a race. Just last year, we won 19 out of 2022 races. So it probably didn't surprise anyone when the Dutchman took his 59th race win at Imola, further demonstrating the talent the three-time world champion has in his fingertips as well as the job Red Bull has done.
What isn't such a familiar sight though is seeing Verstappen under intense pressure for the lead by another driver. McLaren's Lando Norris was doing exactly that, despite Verstappen pulling around an eight second gap to the British driver towards the start of the race. Norris got within seven tenths of the Red Bull by the time of the chequered flag, and had there been a lap or so more, he would have certainly been in a position to challenge or pass Verstappen for the race win. The Red Bull driver even admitted himself on the team radio after that he had to work hard for that win.
Even before the race, qualifying was not a done deal either for Verstappen. Despite taking pole position, he was only around a tenth clear of both McLaren's and two tenths clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Verstappen was aided by a tow given by Haas' Nico Hulkenburg, which after analyising from F1-Tempo, suggests it contributed to around an additional 10km/h down the start/finish straight.
So why are Red Bull falling behind all of a sudden? Bearing in mind at the first race in Bahrain, Verstappen's gap to second place was around 22 seconds...
During Friday's practice sessions, it became clear Red Bull were on the backfoot. A number of off-road excursions despite setup changes left Verstappen frustrated and unable to feel comfortable delivering the maximum from the car. Though they seemed to turn that around for qualifying and the race itself, it still wasn't as its premium performance. This was not a standard Red Bull win, this was one where Verstappen and team really needed to be at their best to drive with the machinery they had.
Red Bull need to address what is causing these recent dips in performance, as they are now looking vulnerable to emerging threats like McLaren and Ferrari and their respective upgrade packages. Whilst it was close this time, teams are smelling blood with the Milton Keynes-based team and inevitably, they will look to bring the fight to Red Bull.
This is, of course, amongst a number of issues the team are trying to address..
Another Missed Opportunity for Piastri
Oscar Piastri missed out on a potential podium in the previous race after a poorly timed safety car for the Australian. And unfortunately for Piastri, he's missed another opportunity for a podium despite another strong weekend.
Piastri finally got his hands on the full upgrade package for this race and clearly decided to take advantage of it, qualifiying on the front row alongside Verstappen and just ahead of his teammate. But his time in second place did not last long after the stewards gave the Williams driver a three-place grid drop for impeding Kevin Magnussen in qualifying, dropping Piastri down to 4th behind the two Ferrari's.
The penalty really cost Piastri for the race, as he struggled to pass either Ferrari during the race, although McLaren's clever strategy meant their driver could at least jump Sainz in the pistops by pitting earlier. Although there was a brief moment where Piastri applied some pressure on Leclerc, it was shortlived as the Ferrari was able to pull away with relative ease.
Had the penalty never occurred, Piastri would be ahead of the both Ferrari cars and likely the driver to duel with Verstappen for the lead of the race. Given it's the second consecutive race it has happened, it's a tough pill for Piastri to swallow at the moment. With McLaren's recently competitive performance at the front, the Australian driver will get plenty more opportunities if this form continues. The stars just need to very much align and everything goes smoothly.
And as we know in F1, nothing ever goes smoothly...
Ferrari Upgrades Were Good, but Not Enough
Like McLaren (and other teams), Ferrari brought their set of upgrades to Imola and showed mixed reactions from their drivers. Whilst Charles Leclerc was feeling happy with the new Ferrari package, Carlos Sainz didn't share the same optimism and didn't really seem to find a rythmn where the car felt great for him.
Still, it was a decent qualifying from both drivers, with Leclerc in 4th and Sainz in 5th prior to Piastri's penalty elevating them up a place each. Emphasis is on the word 'decent' here as despite the result, they were behind both McLaren's in terms of qualifying laps, suggesting there is still some work needed to find more speed in the Ferrari.
This was further reinforced in the race as on the whole, McLaren looked the faster of the two cars. There was a brief moment in the race where Ferrari may have found some pace against the McLaren when Leclerc cruised up to the back of Norris, but this moment faded when Norris pulled eight seconds on the Ferrari driver towards the end of the race. Meanwhile, the sister Ferrari under Sainz found himself behind Piastri after the pitstops and also ended up eight seconds behind the McLaren and 22 seconds from the lead overall.
Overall, the upgrades have shown to at least have signs they are delivering performance, but there is work needed to help both drivers aid in unlocking this performance. On top of that, it is clear the upgrades have not helped Ferrari in what appears to be now a close battle with McLaren as the second quickest car.
As more races take place, it will be curious to see whether Ferrari can turn this around or is McLaren's resurgance will keep them ahead of the Italian manufacturer.
PressF1 Final Thoughts
My Driver of the Race: Max Vertsppen
Sure, it was another win for Verstappen, but this win was a really tough one against a strong Lando Norris. He kept him at bay at the end and the win was fully deserved
Best Overtake of the Race: Yuki Tsunoda on Logan Seargent
There was a lot of overtakes into the Variante Tamburello, but Tsunoda going wheel to wheel with Seargent into the corner was so good to watch. Great driving from both of them!
Special Driver Shoutout: Yuki Tsunoda
Outqualified his teammate once again after starting seventh, and came home to score a point after losing places at the start. Good drive once again from Yuki, who is having a really strong 2024 season so far.
Driver who didn't deliver: Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin brought a haul of upgrades this weekend, but only having ninth place with Lance Stroll and two points is far from what the team expected. Alonso did look competitive with his teammate, but crashing in FP3, qualifying last for the race and making very little progress on Sunday led to a pretty poor weekend for the Spaniard.
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