F1 Sprint is back

Who’s ready for Imola?

What’s the weather like? What are the people like? If you have all these questions, then we’ve got you covered. Home of the Ferrari fans, we can specifically expect a big red crowd to dominate the stands.

Imola Grand Prix, which is scheduled from the 22nd to the 24th of April, is one of the most exciting races of the year. A traditional track with a rich history and F1 culture, it is a favorite for many drivers.

The good news is that Ferrari’s very own Charles Leclerc leads the drivers’ table for the very first time heading into an Italian race. The Monegasque driver is dominating the whole grid comfortably. With the unmatched pace and utmost reliability, the F1-75 is helping the Maranello camp to bring back their glory days. Furthermore, Leclerc’s peak driving where he is setting Grand Slam records has got the other teams shaking in their boots.

The city of Imola is a beautiful sight that bears the very essence of the Italian aura. Located in the northern Italy region of Emilia Romagna, it is close to a river. The qualifying day will report have a cool atmosphere, with 94% cloud coverage.

To put it simply, it might rain! April 23 or the sprint session will face rather pleasant weather with low cloud coverage. The race day itself, however, looks to be completely clear of any rain as of now.

Check on our new item: Imola GP Its Sprint Week F1 Sprint Poster Canvas

F1 sprint race format prompts Ferrari to avoid Imola upgrades

So far this season, due to the impact of the cost cap and logistical challenge of the first flyaway races, none of the top teams have introduced any major development steps for their new cars.

However, the start of the European season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix should in theory offer the perfect chance to introduce the first major changes.

But while the potential is there for big performance gains to be made because of improvements, the decision by F1 to have the first sprint race weekend at Imola has affected Ferrari’s timelines for updates.

It any hour of that practice with just one single single taking place prior to first qualifying session there is not enough time to evaluate the new major parts and get the cars perfectly set-up of the weekend.

Instead, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says major upgrades will wait for subsequent races, as the team instead wants to concentrate on eradicating the kind of porpoising behavior it encountered in Australia last weekend.

Asked by Autosport about its upgrade plan for Imola as it was a sprint weekend, Binotto said: “I think it will be a difficult weekend in respect of bringing updates and trying to evaluate them in the Friday practice, because you need obviously to focus yourself on the quali of the afternoon.

“If we will look at ourselves, there will not be much in Imola because again, we believe it will not be the right place.

“But we will try to mitigate the issues we have got still so far. I’m thinking of the porpoising and the bouncing that has affected our performance over the weekend.

“So we again try to work on that specific point. But, for the upgrades and more, let me say significant ones, it will be for later on in the season.”

Buy this at Reverlavie