STORYLINES EXCITING US AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND
Emilia- Romagna
IT'S
RACE
WEEK!
ALPINE
Colapinto’s return
Six races into the new Formula 1 season and we already have our third driver change of the year.
Jack Doohan is demoted to reserve driver once again after a tough start to the year, during which he showed flashes of potential but ultimately did not yield a point in those opening six rounds.
Colapinto has been waiting in the wings ever since being picked up by Alpine off the back of his impressive Williams stint at the end of last season, and the team has now confirmed he will take over Doohan’s seat for the next five races at least.
With another driver evaluation currently scheduled for between the races in Austria and Great Britain, the situation does mean the pressure stays on Colapinto to prove himself a better choice behind the wheel for Alpine, both this season but also with an eye on who will partner Pierre Gasly in 2026.
Five months after his last race start, Colapinto will be keen to hit the ground running at Imola and build up some momentum, particularly with three race weekends in a row that also include the challenge of Monaco.
UPGRADES
Big upgrades before the triple-header
In Miami, a few teams brought some specific new parts to their cars, but the structure of the Sprint weekend – with just one Free Practice session on the Friday before competitive running gets underway – limited how many took that risk.
For the majority of the grid, the focus has been on delivering more significant upgrade packages for Imola. That’s because it’s a race with the full complement of three practice sessions, but it’s also logistically far easier to get the updates to a European venue given the shorter distance from the respective factories.
Add in the fact that Imola marks the first race of a triple header, and teams can hope to see the benefit of those new parts across three race weekends in such a short space of time, with just 15 days covering the race days in Imola, Monaco and Barcelona.
McLaren’s advantage appeared particularly substantial in Miami, but they know only too well how last year changed when major packages were introduced. Could there be an impact on the pecking order in Italy?
ALPINE
Oakes’ departure
While there is a swap taking place on the driver front at Alpine, the team are now one significant figure down heading to Imola following the departure of Team Principal Oliver Oakes.
The change to the drive line-up was widely expected, with plenty of speculation circulating during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. But Oakes’ resignation came very much as a surprise, with the team announcing he was leaving with immediate effect just 48 hours after the last race.
Briatore is taking on a number of Oakes’ responsibilities moving forward, and that may well include facing the media in Imola.
FERRARI
Ferrari needing a response
One team that could really do with their upgrade package delivering a clear step forward compared to their rivals is Ferrari.
The Miami Grand Prix was one of the low points of a season that has yielded just one podium and one Sprint victory so far, but also seen a double-disqualification in China and fewer than 100 points scored as a team so far.
That total leaves Ferrari fourth in the Teams’ Championship and 152 adrift of leaders McLaren, and in severe danger of their title hopes disappearing before the summer break. In Miami, they finished seventh and eighth through Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton respectively, and were comfortably beaten by the Williams of Alex Albon who was fifth.
Having the fifth-fastest car during a race weekend is not what Ferrari were expecting this season, but Hamilton is confident there are clear weaknesses that are being addressed and that they could soon see a performance improvement. Imola would be the perfect time to take those first steps, in front of the Tifosi on a track that carries the Ferrari name.
IMOLA
An iconic venue to kick off the European season
Six races down already, and we are gearing up for our first European race of the year.
After the opening flyaway races, the recognisable team motorhomes – with a few new additions – will be back in action as the paddock takes on a familiar form for the majority of the summer, with the trucks lining up on the banks of the Santerno river in Emilia Romagna.
Imola has been back on the calendar since 2020 – although the 2023 edition of the race had to be cancelled due to the terrible flooding that impacted the region – and is a hit with the drivers and teams alike due to its layout, backdrop and special atmosphere.
Overtaking is possible courtesy of the long flat-out stretch across the finish line to the Tamburello chicane at the start of the lap, and last year delivered a thrilling finish as Lando Norris hunted down Max Verstappen but just ran out of time to pass the defending champion, crossing the line a mere 0.7s behind his rival.
It provided brilliant entertainment in the closing stages for the tens of thousands of fans crammed into this iconic circuit. Here’s hoping for more of the same this year.
