Looking back | The most memorable races at Imola

Although Imola has only been on the F1 calendar as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix since 2020, the track's history in Formula One goes back much longer. The track first appeared on the calendar in 1980 and since then there have been many great races at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. GPblog.com looks back at the best races at Imola.

Error by Hamilton in the rain

In 2021, Imola was on the calendar for the second time as a replacement GP due to the coronavirus. It was immediately one of the most memorable races of that year. Max Verstappen started very strongly from third place and outsmarted Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton in the first set of corners. While more and more competitors made mistakes, Verstappen remained untouchable in the lead.

On lap 31, Hamilton made a terribly stupid mistake when he wanted to lap George Russell. He slid into the gravel trap and also ruined his front wing. That same Russell, not much later, provided Hamilton with another opportunity. When the young Briton tried to overtake Valtteri Bottas, the two crashed with over 300 kilometers per hour on the clock. It resulted in a red flag and another chance for Hamilton. Hamilton started from P9 at the restart, but fought his way back to second place. Lando Norris complemented the podium on P3.

The return of the shoey

The first Emilia Romagna Grand Prix of 2020 was immediately a race to savour. Verstappen and Hamilton raced neck and neck for a long time until the Red Bull Racing driver crashed out early due to a blowout near the end of the race. This did mean that Daniel Ricciardo was on the podium for the second time in three races after he managed to keep an unleashed Daniil Kvyat behind him. Unlike at the Eifel Grand Prix, he didn't forget to do a 'shoey' this time.

Alonso and Schumacher fight for the win

In 2005, it was Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher who raced for victory at Imola. For laps the two raced wheel to wheel, after Schumi had managed to work his way up from thirteenth place. Alonso beat off every attack from the German and was eventually able to win the race with a minimal difference of two tenths.

Senna versus Prost

In 1989, one of the most famous rivalries Formula 1 has ever known began. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were both driving at McLaren. Senna started from P1 and Prost in the second spot. After three laps in that order, Gerhard Berger crashed very hard and caused a red flag.

During the red flag, Prost and Senna agreed that whoever took the lead after turn one could take the race. Prost got away better than his Brazilian teammate, but Senna took the lead back in Tosa, against the agreement. Senna did not relinquish the lead and the intense rivalry between the two was born.