Oscar Piastri is on pole position and eyeing a fourth consecutive grand prix victory. Will Max Verstappen, Lando Norris or anyone else keep him from extending his championship lead?
Here’s the key data for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Weather
Pleasantly warm conditions are expected for Sunday’s grand prix with air temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s. There is a very low risk of rain – no more than 10%.
Start
Imola has one of the longest runs from the start line to turn one of the year. However its unusual configuration lends the pole-winner a considerable advantage.
Oscar Piastri will line up on the inside of the curving run towards the first corner, Tamburello. That plus the relatively narrow track puts him at an advantage, and unless Max Verstappen gets away very well from second place, the McLaren driver will have the option of forcing him wide into the gravel, which he will be at pains to avoid.
For that reason there tends not to be big changes in the starting order on lap one. Last year the top six on the grid next their places on lap one.
Distance from pole position to first braking zone. Source: Mercedes
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Strategy
The tyre compounds for this year’s race are one step softer than in 2024. Last year most drivers started on the medium (C4) and switched to the hard (C3). With no C3s nominated this year, the same medium-hard strategy is likely to be favoured, but that will involve starting on C5s and switching to C4s.
Some drivers ran their mediums in qualifying, notably George Russell, so they can expect the tyres won’t last as long over a stint. Whether that will be sufficient to push them into pitting twice remains to be seen.
But Imola has the most time-sapping pit lane of the season. Drivers lose 28 seconds making a pit stop, so they will be anxious to avoid two-stopping at all costs.
Last year drivers chose the following compounds to start the race on. The data for this year will be added once it has been confirmed by Pirelli:
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Overtaking
There have been no DRS zone changes for this year’s race. Although overtaking at Imola is generally regarded as difficult, there is a long zone on the approach to Tamburello. This makes overtaking feasible once a driver can get within range – but getting that close in the first place is often far easier said than done.
Any drivers risking wheel-to-wheel contact will have to keep their penalty points situation in mind. Verstappen still has the most, with eight.
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Speed trap
Safety Cars
A Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car period may tip the balance for drivers who are hedging over whether to make an extra pit stop. But despite the many gravel traps and lack of run-off, there were no such interventions last year.
Grid
The grid for this year’s race is as follows. Any changes between now and the start of the race will be added here:
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Championship implications
If the drivers finish where they start, Piastri will score his fourth consecutive victory and extend his championship lead to 29 points over team mate Lando Norris. Work out all the championship possibilities here:
Over to you
Do you expect another McLaren win or will one of their rivals take the fight to them? And what can Ferrari salvage from their poor starting positions?
Share your views on the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in the comments.
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