Imola. Just under 5 kilometres (3 miles) worth of track, and 62 racing laps. One of the most important tracks in Italy and the history of motorsport. F1 originally came to Imola in 1980 as the Italian Grand Prix. This was only temporary, however, due to Monza’s accident at the startline which claimed the life of Ronnie Peterson. The next year, the Italian Grand Prix returned to Monza, which left Imola out in the cold.
They weren’t left without a Grand Prix though, as the San Marino Grand Prix was born in 1981. The Grand Prix was very popular, and saw the fight between Villeneuve and Prioni on track in the boycotted ‘82 race, McLaren dominance through-out the 80s, and legends like Senna and Prost winning multiple times.
In 1989, the track underwent a name change to Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, in honor of the late Enzo Ferrari who died the year prior. It may have had a different name, but the drama continued, as Prost and Senna (McLaren teammates at the time) battled out for first place on the podium.
Imola History – 1994
It was a sunny day in the Summer of 1994. Formula 1 was mourning the tragic death of Roland Ratzenberger from Saturday’s qualifying session; he hit a concrete barrier wall head-on. The collision left Ratzenberger critically injured, and inflicted a basal skull fracture. It was later announced that he died due to his injuries in hospital. Qualifying continued on, without Williams’ or Benetton’s partaking and Senna went on to claim pole position.
The race continued like normal, and on the 1st May the drivers lined up as normal. On the seventh lap, (2nd racing lap after a safety car) Senna’s car was unable to take the Tamburello corner, and hit a concrete barrier at around 130mph (210km/h). Senna died instantly due to the impact of the crash.
This race weekend was perhaps one of the darkest in history, but it created many safety precautions which are still in use today. The Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) formed as a result of the weekend’s events, and the HANS device was introduced in 2003.
The Tamburello and Villeneueve corners were altered and slower chicanes were added. Imola history was defined by these events.
Imola’s Future and Coronavirus
Imola continued to be on the calendar until 2006, where in August the organiser’s announced the race was dropped in favour of the Belgian Grand Prix, taking place at Spa. Until that point, Schumacher won the race seven times, with Williams and Ferrari both winning eight times at the circuit. McLaren won six times, and Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna both won three times.
When Coronavirus came and delayed the start of the season, it was clear F1’s season was in danger of not going ahead due to race track closures. In a bid to add more races to the calendar, Imola returned to the calendar under a name name. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix had another lap added, and a slightly changed layout to the original from 2006. Imola history is now just that, but it’s important not to overlook it and the lessons learned.
It was then announced that Imola would continue to be on the calendar for the 2021 season too, as F1 and Liberty Media (the commercial rights holder) wanted to add more races to the calendar for the year, in a bid to have a record amount of races.
With the dark history’s shadow overlooking the track, it is important to remember the joyful moments, and the competitions that this track promoted, and will potentially continue to hold for years to come.
Your Take – Should Imola Be Kept On the Calendar?
Imola has always been an important part of F1 history. Many missed it when it came off the calendar, and we now welcome it’s return. We always want to see your opinion on the topics we write about! Either use the form below to comment, or take a look at our contact page!
