The Emilia Romagna GP kickstarts the European season of the 2025 Formula 1 season. The 7th race of the season kicks off the 2nd triple-header of the year. The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, more commonly known as the Imola circuit, has seen some amazing races and hope this weekend is the same.
The 2025 Emilia Romagna GP follows off from another Oscar Piastri victory in the Miami GP. The Aussie has extended his lead in the championship and looks poised to extend it further this weekend. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen will look back at a missed opportunity and will look to bounce back in Imola.
There is no shortage of talking points ahead of this race weekend, with lots of changes in the management and driver side of things. Let’s jump into what you can expect going into the race weekend in Imola.
Key Storylines for the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP
1. Major Changes in Alpine
The Alpine F1 team has had a poor start to the F1 2025 season. The long-awaited F1 driver change finally happened, as Franco Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan. Jack Doohan didn’t shine as much as the team expected, but he showed some flashes in the first six rounds. Colapinto has been waiting in the wings in the reserve driver role after an impressive stint with Williams last season. The young driver will need to get things going if he wants to keep the seat for this season and next year.
There was also a swap of the Team Principal for the team as Oliver Oakes resigned from his role. The change to the driver lineup was expected, but nobody expected a change in the management. The responsibilities of the team principal will be taken over by the controversial Flavio Briatore.
2. Ferrari’s Struggles
Ferrari has had a dismal season so far after making 90% of changes to their car. The lowest point of the season was the Miami GP, after they finished behind Alex Albon. This was not far off from the double disqualification in the Chinese GP. The team is fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, 152 points adrift of McLaren. The team will be hoping to have a good race weekend in the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP.
3. Car Upgrades
In the Miami Grand Prix, a few teams bought new parts for their car. The structure of the Sprint Weekend didn’t allow them to fully dial it with their cars. This weekend in Imola, teams will bring in upgrades at the start of the European leg. How it will impact the pecking order is up for debate.
Predictions for the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP
1. Pole Position for the Race: Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen has time and again proved why many considered him the best driver on the grid in the 2025 F1 season. Last year, Max surprised everyone after claiming pole in the 2024 Imola GP. The Dutch driver has all the potential to replicate it and be on pole for the race.
2. Race Winner: Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri winning the race is a boring prediction for most, but his current form is hard to go against. After claiming consecutive victories starting in 2nd and 4th spot in the past 2 races, the Aussie is a clear favorite for the race. This weekend has the potential to become another dominating victory for McLaren, foiling every team’s upgrade packages.
3. Biggest Surprise: Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda has a mixed bag of performances in the Red Bull car. The last few race weekends have seen the Japanese driver scraping to be in Q3 and having some shaky races. However, the Imola Grand Prix can finally be his breakthrough weekend for the team.
4. Biggest Flop: Franco Colapinto
Franco Colapinto had an amazing start to life in Williams in the 2024 season. However, there will be more eyes on him in his Alpine debut. The added pressure can put him under stress to get the desired results. The rookie is prone to scary shunts, and he may have a horrendous weekend adjusting to life in his new team.
2025 Emilia Romagna GP Timings IST
Leave a Reply