The Tifosi will rock up at Imola this weekend expecting Ferrari to dominate the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but Red Bull will definitely be looking to strike back after their poor display in the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago. The scene is set for another epic battle between Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull, but let’s take a look at the track characteristics for Imola and how they could impact the fight at the top:
The circuit tends to be more front limited, a feature that could be accentuated by rain on Friday and a green track, with the 2022 cars always tending to suffer from natural understeer as a result of the new technical regulations. In Imola, however, also a good management of the car’s braking and an advantage in traction can be crucial. Imola is also a power track (even though it may not seem so by looking at the layout), given the long time spent with the throttle completely open (full throttle). Teams will need a lot of power while also limiting the drag.
The track is 4909 meters long, has 19 corners, 8 to the right, 11 to the left and could be a challenging event for these cars given their weight – over 800 kg considering the fuel loaded – especially in sections such as the Rivazza where it will be necessary to push the pedal to try to brake to the limit. An additional unknown in these part of track will be the slope of the circuit, with turns located at different heights above sea level and thus presenting uphill and downhill straights along the lap.
One key aspect could be represented by the many variants present such as the Tamburello, the Villeneuve and the Alta variant. Drivers need a reactive car at the front, with a stable rear and which, especially in the last section, will have to allow them to attack the corners without breaking down and then accelerate quickly in the straight that leads to the Rivazza where very important will be the traction qualities of the cars, useful for defending or attacking before reaching the finish line and then on the straight, which will be the overtaking area thanks to the help of the DRS.
In these first rounds of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship we have heard a lot about porpoising and the compromise choices that the teams have been forced to use to deal with this phenomenon.
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Imola will present another risk: this generation of cars is very sensitive to ground clearance and a possible wet set-up in qualifying – if the deterioration goes on for a few hours longer than the current forecasts – could result in a huge loss of downforce to make up for with larger wings, at the expense of efficiency, in the Sprint Race and Sunday’s race. Teams are much more likely to take risks in qualifying, by trusting the skill of their drivers, focusing on a more dry and more useful set-up in the following two days, barring important meteorological surprises. The presence of only one important straight could instead make the aerodynamic bouncing in this ace less harmful.
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