Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: race preview, session times, and what to watch for

Formula 1 returns to Europe and returns to Imola this weekend. Having fallen off the calendar for 14 years, the Autodromo di Enzo e Dino Ferrari returned to Formula 1 in 2020. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix stepped in to host a race during the pandemic-affected calendar.

Having proved such a hit with drivers and fans alike, the event returns in 2021 to host the second round of the F1 season.

Lewis Hamilton may have sealed a constructors’ championship for Mercedes in 2020, but there’s arguably more at stake in 2021. Max Verstappen has set out a huge challenge to the world champion’s dominance, with the Red Bull looking like the car to beat. If they are to be considered title challengers, they will need to better their performance last time out at Imola.

And with the prospect of a wet race on the cards, all bets could be off come Sunday morning.

Find out more about the race, including a brief history, all session and race times, which series will be supporting F1 and more.

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix race preview

The circuit

Autodromo di Enzo e Dino Ferrari

The circuit at Imola has been a Formula 1 fan favourite for years. The high-speed course features numerous straights with fast kinks along the way. Chicanes have gradually been added to improve the safety of the track, following the tragic death of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in 1994.

Following modifications to the track – notably at Tamburello – the circuit features 19 turns. The lap record belongs to Lewis Hamilton, who set a 1:15.484 over the 4.9km circuit. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will be run across 63 laps, to a distance of 309km.

It first hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1980, and the San Marino Grand Prix from 1981 until 2006. This was to make space on the calendar for the Belgian Grand Prix to return, and racing wouldn’t return to Imola until 2020 to bolster the pandemic- affected season.

Last time out

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2020

The Autodromo di Enzo e Dino Ferrari stepped in to host the final European round of the 2020 Formula 1 season, making a much-anticipated comeback.

Valterri Bottas took pole and led from lights out as the cars tussled on the narrow circuit behind. Max Verstappen managed to get ahead of Lewis Hamilton to take second, and chased down the Finn. But good fortune benefitted Lewis Hamilton, who extended his first stint, and took advantage of a virtual safety car to overcut and gain the lead.

Behind, Verstappen continued to put the pressure on Bottas and forced a mistake, opening the door for the Dutchman to chase down Hamilton for the lead. But a tyre failure sent the Red Bull driver into a spin and out of the race. Behind the ensuing safety car, George Russell inexplicably spun and crashed out of the race missing out on his first-ever F1 points.

Mercedes held on for a 1-2 with Lewis Hamilton taking the win, and Mercedes secured a seventh-consecutive Constructors’ Championship. Daniel Ricciardo swept up the remaining podium position – his second of the season.

The state of play

Lewis Hamilton leads after epic battle in Bahrain

The season opened with an epic battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in Bahrain. A taste of an impending title duel between the master and the prodigy, both drivers will be looking to stamp their mark on the 2021 season. As a high-power circuit, Red Bull are expected to have an advantage thanks to the souped-up Honda engine.

That engine means AlphaTauri stand in good stead, too. The Italian team has made great gains in 2021, with Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda more than familiar with the circuit, which is just 20 minutes from the team’s Faenza factory.

They will also be looking to enter the midfield battle, with McLaren and Ferrari sharing most of the best-of the-rest spoils in Bahrain. Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo’s McLarens lead Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s Ferraris, as each team’s newcomers will look to settle into a rhythm at Imola.

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix session times

As a mark of respect to Prince Philip’s funeral, which takes place on Saturday afternoon, session times have been shuffled. Due to regulations relating to certain sessions beginning within a certain time period of the last, Friday’s free practice sessions have also changed times.

Weather report

On average, April is the second-wettest month in Imola. According to AccuWeather, there is a 2% chance of rain on Friday and 7% chance of rain on Saturday. However on Sunday, this increases to 25%, so the drivers could be battling the conditions on track as well as each other.

Air temperature will also be cooler on race day. Friday will say temperatures of around 14 degrees, and cooling to 12 degrees on Sunday.

Race support

Formula Regional European Championship

For the very first time, Formula Regional European Championship will support a Formula 1 Grand Prix. The season will begin with two races at Imola, and will also support F1 at the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix.

There’s a major change for the season this year, as the championship merges with Formula Renault Eurocup. That’s resulted in a huge grid with 33 drivers, and each of the 12 teams can enter three cars, or four if they field a female driver. Fans of F2 and F3 will recognise teams the likes of Prema, Arden, MP Motorsport and ART Grand Prix on the grid.

They’ll also know that the series is where current F2 drivers Gianluca Petecof, Juri Vips, and Dan Ticktum cut their teeth in previous years. Drivers on the current grid to keep an eye on include Ferrari Academy driver and F3 racer Dino Beganovic, son of Rubens Barrichello, Eduardo, 2019 British F4 champion Zane Maloney snd W Series racer Belén García.

The races will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube across the weekend.