[Official] Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix 2021: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 2 of 23

[Born Racer]

Formula 1’s return to Imola, near Bologna, in the latter stages of last year is backed up by its second such event in six months, this time hosting a mouthful of an event in the shape of the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna. Formerly bestowed the honorary title of the San Marino Grand Prix, after the nearby small republic, it was a popular revival in the hastily-reassembled 2020 calendar.

After trialling a two-day format, the teams will now compete again in the shorter practice sessions seen under the new regulations, which lent Friday proceedings in Bahrain a more intense and even fraught sense of preparation. A pecking order emerged in some forms in Sakhir, with the notion of the ‘midfield’ almost dismantled, as we could see Williams and Haas running furthest back, Red Bull and Mercedes at the front, and the maelstrom of the others composing the rest of the grid. The reigning champions stole a march on the stars of pre-season testing, winning out through superior strategy, a phenomenal drive from their seven-time champion driver and increased pace, but they currently look to be locked into a protracted battle to attain anything approaching the clear superiority of recent times.

The history

In 1963, a non-championship Imola Grand Prix with Formula 1 cars was won by Jim Clark in his Lotus. In the late 70s, plans were afoot for Monza to alternate with Imola for the Italian Grand Prix, and before Imola's championship status was affirmed, the non-championship Dino Ferrari Grand Prix was run in September 1979, a week after Monza. Niki Lauda won for Brabham-Alfa Romeo, mere weeks before quitting the sport for the first time. Carlos Reutemann was 2nd for Lotus and freshly-crowned world champion Jody Scheckter 3rd for Ferrari.

Run at Imola, the 1980 Italian Grand Prix, ended up being the sole race with that designation not to be held at Monza to the present day. Nelson Piquet won in his Brabham ahead of the Williamses of Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann. Although Piquet took the lead of the drivers' championship, Williams sealed their first constructors' title.

Imola's race stayed on the calendar, although it took the title of the San Marino Grand Prix in 1981. Piquet won again, this time from Riccardo Patrese in an Arrows, while Reutemann was 3rd for Williams. Didier Pironi led in the wet conditions until slipping back down the order, while Gilles Villeneuve made an unwise stop for slicks, which he recovered from to 7th.

In 1982, only seven teams took part, during the FISA-FOCA War, with Brabham, McLaren, Williams and Lotus all boycotting the event. The front row was occupied by the Renaults, but they both went out with engine trouble, leaving the Ferraris of Villeneuve and Pironi 1st and 2nd respectively. Ferrari ordered both cars to slow down, but Pironi did not interpret this order as one not to pass, which he duly did. With Villeneuve thinking his team-mate was just making a bit of a show, when he got passed Pironi again, he expected him to hold station, but he was overtaken into Tosa on the final lap. Villeneuve was so livid he vowed never to speak to Pironi again, which was sadly the case, as he was killed at the next race at Zolder, not on speaking terms. Michele Alboreto was 3rd for Tyrrell. There were six finishers and just five classified, with Manfred Winkelhock disqualified for being underweight.

In 1983, Patrick Tambay won for Ferrari after Brabham's Patrese had passed him with six laps to go, before almost immediately crashing at Acque Minerali. Alain Prost grabbed 2nd for Renault from Ferrari's René Arnoux after the Frenchman spun. Tambay dedicated his victory in the Number 27 car to Villeneuve.

Prost won for McLaren in 1984, with René Arnoux 2nd this time in the Ferrari, and Elio de Angelis coming home 3rd in his Lotus, despite running out of fuel. Fuel economy was a big issue a year later, as various drivers ran dry. Ayrton Senna went out of the lead due to this, and Stefan Johansson, in his first race for Ferrari after replacing the sacked Arnoux, who had climbed to 2nd from 15th on the grid, would have taken the lead but stopped when exiting Acque Minerali. Prost won, but was disqualified for being underweight, so it was de Angelis who was awarded the victory.

A year later, Alain Prost did win, but again, he almost ran out of fuel and just crept over the line, this time not underweight. Piquet was 2nd in the Williams and Gerhard Berger took his first podium in the Benetton-BMW. Keke Rosberg in the McLaren and Riccardo Patrese in the Brabham were both classified 5th and 6th for the final points-paying positions, despite running out of fuel.

In 1987, Piquet had a huge accident at Tamburello in Friday practice and missed the rest of the weekend. His Williams team-mate Nigel Mansell took the win from Ayrton Senna in the Lotus and Ferrari's Michele Alboreto. A year later, McLaren took their first front row grid lockout, and Senna just won from Prost, both again low on fuel, with Piquet 3rd for Lotus.

Gerhard Berger had a fiery accident at Tamburello on Lap 3 in his Ferrari in 1989 and the race was stopped and re-started to run on aggregate times. Senna won from Prost, but Prost was upset that Senna had broken a supposed pre-race agreement to let whoever was in front at Turn 1 go on to win the race. Alessandro Nannini was 3rd for Benetton. In 1990, Riccardo Patrese won in the Williams, having passed the McLaren of Berger, who had earlier collided with Ferrari's Nigel Mansell as he tried to pass him. Patrese took the record for the biggest gap between wins, broken in the 2018 United States Grand Prix by Kimi Raikkonen.

In 1991, Senna won from his McLaren team-mate Berger, while JJ Lehto claimed a podium in the Dallara-Judd. Ferrari's Alain Prost spun off on the formation lap and did not start. A year afterwards, it was Mansell's turn to win from his team-mate, finishing ahead of Patrese in the dominant Williams, with Senna in 3rd.

After getting ahead of Prost at the pit stops, Senna led, but Prost passed both him and Williams team-mate Damon Hill at Tosa, eventually winning from Michael Schumacher's Benetton and Martin Brundle's Ligier. Senna retired with hydraulic problems and Hill with a brake failure.

It has been well-documented elsewhere what occurred in 1994 at Imola, but it suffices to say that the weekend was horrendous from start to finish and both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna died, while the sport did at least then begin to undergo major changes in a safety drive, which has transformed those aspects of the sport. Michael Schumacher won the race in his Benetton from Nicola Larini in the Ferrari (his only podium) and Mika Hakkinen in the McLaren.

In 1995, Damon Hill won for Williams, with the Ferraris of Jean Alesi and Berger completing the podium and a year later he took the spoils again, this time from Michael Schumacher's Ferrari and Berger's Benetton. Heinz-Harald Frentzen took his first win in 1997, driving for Williams, with Schumacher again 2nd and the other Ferrari of Eddie Irvine in 3rd.

In 1998, David Coulthard led from McLaren team-mate Hakkinen, the Finn retiring with a gearbox failure. Coulthard held off Schumacher and Irvine to win, having to control his pace, due to high oil cooler temperatures after getting debris in a sidepod. The next year, Hakkinen led before crashing out at the Traguardo chicane. Coulthard took over the lead, but Schumacher undercut him at the pit stops and beat the McLaren driver into 2nd place, with Rubens Barrichello 3rd for Stewart. Schumacher got the jump on Hakkinen at the pit stops to win in 2000 too, with Coulthard back in 3rd.

Williams driver Ralf Schumacher jumped into the lead from 3rd in 2001, eventually beating Coulthard for his first win, with Barrichello 3rd for Ferrari. A Ferrari 1-2 followed in 2002, with Schumacher ahead, and Ralf Schumacher 3rd for Williams. The Schumacher brothers raced in 2003, despite the death of their mother that morning. Michael won from Raikkonen in the McLaren and Ferrari team-mate Barrichello. Schumacher won again in 2004, this time from Jenson Button's BAR and Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams.

In 2005, Schumacher chased Fernando Alonso hard for the win, but couldn't beat the Renault driver, finishing just 0.215 seconds behind at the flag. Button was 3rd, but due to the BAR disqualifications, Alex Wurz was later promoted to 3rd for McLaren. Alonso and Schumacher repeated their battle in the final San Marino Grand Prix in 2006, but this time it was Fernando's turn to pursue, ending up 2.096 behind Schumacher at race's end, with Montoya 3rd for McLaren.

Last year, Lewis Hamilton won from Valtteri Bottas and the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo. The Finn collided with some debris early doors, after leading away from pole. Verstappen passed Hamilton, before eventually getting Bottas. By this point, however, Hamilton had got the jump on both during the pit stops. Verstappen eventually underwent a tyre failure at the Villeneuve Chicane, while George Russell, running in the points with Williams, crashed during the safety car period approaching the end of the race. Ricciardo grabbed the final podium spot when Sergio Pérez pitted for new tyres before the safety car came in.

The trivia

The Bahrain Grand Prix was run just under four months after the last race at the circuit, while the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will take place about five and a half months after last year’s event.

As in Bahrain regarding the first encounter in 2004, only Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso of the current grid competed in the last San Marino Grand Prix in 2006.

The slight adjustment to the 2021 Grand Prix name (not a sponsor addition) makes this is the fourth iteration of the event, after the Italian Grand Prix, San Marino Grand Prix and Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Last year's name has been retained in the thread title, as there is not space for the full one.

Arrows had two of its eight podium finishes here - 2nd for Ricciardo Patrese in 1981 and the same placing for Thierry Boutsen in 1985.

JJ Lehto finished on the podium in the Dallara-Judd in 1991, despite having to pre-qualify.

The track



Other information

Circuit length: 4.909km
Number of laps: 63
Race distance: 309.049km
Race Lap Record: 1:15.484 (Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 2020)
Dry weather tyre compounds: C2, C3 & C4
First Grand Prix at this circuit: 1980

Join in the fun with the F1 Predictions Contest and Fantasy F1:

https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156086

https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156053

[chillibowl]

very nice BR!

liked the trivia...Kimi and Alonso have been around for so long!

Alpine has continued the great race poster tradition from Renault. if you follow the below twitter link they have provided a moving poster (almost like a gif version of the poster) and if you scroll down you will find it formatted for desktop and phone wallpapers.

edit: removed the picture and just put the link...its huge but well worth a look. like a neon blade runner version of the old pits. very cool imo.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EywubeGX...jpg&name=large

https://twitter.com/AlpineF1Team/sta...386610692?s=20

[E.B]

Great intro as always BR. Much appreciated.

[crmalcolm]

Just a reminder for those planning their viewing schedules:

'Formula 1 has changed the schedule of this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to ensure cars are not on track at the same time as the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.

Saturday's on-track sessions have been moved forward an hour, with qualifying now starting at 14:00 local time (13:00 BST) and final practice at 10:00 BST.

Friday practice has also been moved as a result, to comply with regulations demanding specific gaps between sessions. The first hour-long session will be at 10:00 BST and the second at 13:30.'

[Tourer]

Great that they've changed the times to not interfere with his funeral crmalcolm - shows the respect that should be shown.

Great intro as ever BR - thank you very much.

Looking forward to Imola, to see how the pecking order shakes out at a classic track.

Showers forecast for Sunday - could make it all very interesting.

[wnut]

Thanks BR great work as ever, I stand in awe of the effort you put in.

Prompted by you the F1 1979 - Race 13.5 - Non Championship - Dino Ferrari GP (50fps Remaster)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_KIeL55FhE

Great dice between Lauda and Villeneuve at 36:30.

Also nice to see the track with grassed limits and not paved to hell.

[tux]

Showers forecast for Sunday so its certain that the rain will begin at 17:01pm

[S griffin]

Great intro BR, as always. Really looking forward to this GP. The weeks since Bahrain have passed quickly. And if showers happen on Sunday that will really spice things up. Can’t wait.

Just a shame that the title of the GP, but it doesn’t matter. It will always be the San Marino GP to me

[bjohnsonsmith]

Excellent intro as ever.


I gave it 8 out of 10 last year, so looking forward to this weekend's race. Is Imola firmly back on the calendar, or is this a Covid stop gap like last year?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Is Imola firmly back on the calendar, or is this a Covid stop gap like last year?

It's a substitute for the Chinese GP, originally scheduled for 11 April.

This year, they are also having to pay a 'hosting fee' - equivalent to 10 million Euros. This fee has been raised via contributions from Emilia-Romagna, its 23 surrounding municipalities and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hence the ‘Made in Italy’ prefix to the race title which is designed to increase interest in Italian products.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

It's a substitute for the Chinese GP, originally scheduled for 11 April.

This year, they are also having to pay a 'hosting fee' - equivalent to 10 million Euros. This fee has been raised via contributions from Emilia-Romagna, its 23 surrounding municipalities and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hence the ‘Made in Italy’ prefix to the race title which is designed to increase interest in Italian products.

I thought it might be something like that. It would be great if Imola permanently replaced the Chinese GP. However with a €10 million hosting fee and F1 needing to fill the calendar, one might think it should be F1 paying Imola. Are spectators allowed to attend?

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Are spectators allowed to attend?

I'm expecting not - I think COVID restrictions in Italy are tighter now than they were for the last event.

Travel between regions in Italy is currently prohibited (AFAIK), and the lowest classification of zone (Including Emilia-Romagna) is Amber.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

I'm expecting not - I think COVID restrictions in Italy are tighter now than they were for the last event.

Travel between regions in Italy is currently prohibited (AFAIK), and the lowest classification of zone (Including Emilia-Romagna) is Amber.

With no spectators and no therefore gate money, who is underwriting the €10 million hosting fee, the 23 surrounding municipalities and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

[S griffin]

I do agree Imola adds something to the calendar and hope it's back for more, but you're right, they need to make sure the funding is in place for this event to continue

[tux]

What is with Mazepin? The guy had a spin, a near crash into the pit wall (off camera, was reported by Skys commentary team) and an actual crash all in a 1 hour session. For all the talk of being a pay driver the guy wasn't exactly useless in F2?

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by tux

What is with Mazepin? The guy had a spin, a near crash into the pit wall (off camera, was reported by Skys commentary team) and an actual crash all in a 1 hour session. For all the talk of being a pay driver the guy wasn't exactly useless in F2?

I agree. I didn’t expect much from him, but I didn’t think he would be this bad. He seems unable to handle an F1 car and might have gone above his limit

[thetool]

I know it's the popular thing atm to ridicule Mazepin, but if you look at his performance in the context of his fairly highly rated team-mate, he's not really doing that badly. Within half a second in all of practice in Bahrain and then a poor qualifying, and obviously a disappointing race. But even with today's incidents, he's ended up 6 tenths quicker than Schumacher.

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by thetool

I know it's the popular thing atm to ridicule Mazepin, but if you look at his performance in the context of his fairly highly rated team-mate, he's not really doing that badly. Within half a second in all of practice in Bahrain and then a poor qualifying, and obviously a disappointing race. But even with today's incidents, he's ended up 6 tenths quicker than Schumacher.

It’s bizarre. An F2 car is harder to drive than an F1 car.

Mind you, I’m not sure I’d call Schumacher that highly rated.

[S griffin]

Schumi Jr is reigning F2 champion, so he has plenty of talent, although it takes him time to find his feet. But he’s done alright so far, although it’s too early to say whether he’s anything more than ‘good’

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Schumi Jr is reigning F2 champion, so he has plenty of talent, although it takes him time to find his feet. But he’s done alright so far, although it’s too early to say whether he’s anything more than ‘good’

I think most in the sport would say it’s too early to if he’s any better than ‘average at best.’

I’d also say the jury’s out on which is the better prospect of the two. Both can drive well enough to be in F1 and both bring enormous ‘commercial benefits.’

[S griffin]

I haven’t heard anyone in F1 say he’s ‘average at best’. I haven’t heard anyone say he’s anything less than decent

[peebee2]

Yes, but you’d have to be within talking distance of anyone in F1 to hear them say anything at all.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by peebee2

I think most in the sport would say it’s too early to if he’s any better than ‘average at best.’

I’d also say the jury’s out on which is the better prospect of the two. Both can drive well enough to be in F1 and both bring enormous ‘commercial benefits.’

This.

[steve_r]

Ferrari looking good - I haven't said that for a long time.

[BTCC frog]

Some big surprises in practice 3 there. Lando Norris was the main one; why was he so far ahead of Ricciardo? Gasly and Ferrari also looking strong. Williams with a good chance of both cars in Q2, probably at the expense of Aston Martin or Alfa Romeo. Advantage Red Bull, for now, but I think it will be very close in qualifying.