La Dolce Drifta: An Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Recap
May 22
4 min read
Welcome to the first of two Italian races this season. The race that takes place on the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari has gone by many names, including the Italian Grand Prix (now credited to the Grand Prix that takes place on the Monza circuit) and the San Marino Grand Prix. The official name these days is the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, but many refer to it as the “Imola Grand Prix” or simply “Imola,” after the town where it takes place. I use “Emilia-Romagna” and “Imola” interchangeably.
The circuit is one of the two sacred grounds for both Ferrari and Tifosi, the other being The Temple of Speed in Monza (that one takes place closer to the end of the summer). The Autodromo is an old-school track and one of the most historically significant circuits in F1. It was also the track where legendary driver Ayrton Senna died, hitting an unprotected concrete barrier in 1994 during the San Marino Grand Prix.
With that impromptu crash course established, allow me to recap this year’s race:
Qualifying
The session's most defining moment was the horrifying crash Tsunoda underwent in Q1. Thank goodness for the halo, the curved bar placed above an open-wheel racecar driver’s head, protecting them from truly nasty accidents that can prove fatal.
Franco Colapinto crashed in the last moments of Q2, which unfortunately impacted Ollie Bearman’s time… The Haas driver barely crossed the finish line when the red flags went off, and the FIA decided to delete his time, knocking him out of Qualifying.
The biggest shock of the round was the double Ferrari elimination. Charles Leclerc qualified at P11 while Lewis Hamilton qualified at P12. A similar outcome happened at the Canadian Grand Prix last year - it was a shock then, and to see it happen ON ITALIAN SOIL OF ALL PLACES.
Oscar Piastri got pole position, Max Verstappen qualified in second place, and George Russell in third… And all four drivers from Williams and Aston Martin made it all the way to the top ten.
The Race
Piastri’s ongoing luck flipped in the first few moments of the race, where Verstappen snatched up P1 so swiftly that it was unbelievable. After that, the Red Bull driver zipped through and secured another win this season. Piastri, after a few questionable pit-stop calls from McLaren (literally no comment here), ultimately finished third. Teammate Lando Norris, who started P4, finished in second place.
Lewis Hamilton came in fourth place, his best result in a Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver. In typical fashion, he built his way up from P12 and benefited from perfectly timed pit stops to overtake his way to the top. If there were one more lap in the race, he might have overtaken Piastri for P3. If both Hamilton and Ferrari can keep up that energy, we may very well witness a Grand Prix win or at least a few podium appearances.
Right behind was Alex Albon in fifth place. He stayed within the top five throughout the race, and was close to a podium… There was, unfortunately, a slight tap by Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, forcing him off the track and into the gravel, which enabled both the Monégasque driver and Hamilton to overtake Albon. Consequently, Leclerc's race engineer asked him to give up his position. He wasn’t the happiest camper about it (no one would be in that scenario), but he did it. Leclerc ended up finishing P6.
And since I brought up Aston Martin’s Qualifying results, it pains me to say that Fernando Alonso finished in 11th, so desperately close to getting his first points of the season, while Lance Stroll, who at least has earned points, finished in 15th. Those two are not having an easy season, especially rookie Alonso (if you know, you know).
After Saturday’s hellish Qualifying, my concern was the likelihood of crashes (which is always high in any Formula One race). Although Esteban Ocon and Kimi Antonelli were the two DNFs of the race, no one thankfully crashed.
Championship Rankings, As of Now
Oscar Piastri continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship at 146 points, teammate Lando Norris remains second at 133 points, and Max Verstappen is not too far behind them at 124 points. It’s still anyone’s title to seize… I want to say that an obvious winner will be determined by summer break, but I have a feeling that this is going to be a nail-biting fight to the end. At least it keeps things interesting. George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli are behind in 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th, respectively.
McLaren currently dominates the Constructors’ Championship at 279 points. Mercedes is in second place at 147 points, Red Bull is in third place at 131 points, and Ferrari is in fourth place at 114 points. Williams leads the midfield in fifth place at 51 points.
And so the season begins to splinter - three Drivers’ Championship title fights that are truly up in the air, Williams truly making a memorable comeback, and Ferrari seemingly starting to get their act together. Monaco, the next race location, is the most glamorous and popular circuit on the calendar. But you know what’s better than racing on the streets of Monte Carlo? Winning. This could potentially be the race that makes or breaks the rankings. How, you ask? Well, let me put it this way - it’s pretty difficult to overtake at the Monaco Grand Prix, and crashes tend to happen…And that’s before we add rain to the equation. See you then!
