F1 starts its European leg by heading to Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri extended his lead in the World Drivers’ Championship after scoring another win in Miami. Piastri is the first McLaren driver to score three consecutive wins since Mika Häkkinen in 1998.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is rookie Kimi Antonelli’s first home race in F1. Antonelli’s hometown, Bologna, Italy, is located less than one hour away from the track. Imola is also considered a home race for VCARB, whose home base in Faenza is a mere 15 km away.
And, of course, the Tifosi will be hoping Ferrari score big at one of the two Italy-based races on the calendar.
Franco Colapinto makes Alpine debut
Last week, news broke that Alpine rookie Jack Doohan would be replaced by reserve driver Franco Colapinto for the Emilia Romagna GP. Colapinto made waves in the F1 community following his debut for Williams in 2024, scoring points during his second race weekend.
Colapinto has a five-race contract, causing many to speculate the nature of Alpine’s long-term game. Could we see another driver switch at the end of Colapinto’s run?
Doohan wasn’t the only replacement made at Alpine — Team Principal Oliver Oakes resigned amidst rumours of legal troubles concerning his brother. Executive Advisor and former Team Principal for Renault Flavio Briatore has taken over the team in the interim.
Briatore’s history with the sport makes him an interesting selection for Team Principal. Despite leading Renault to championship victories in the mid 2000’s, Briatore’s legacy lies in controversy. Briatore led Renault during the “crashgate” scandal. Former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. alleged the team told him to deliberately crash to give an advantage to teammate Fernando Alonso during the 2008 Singapore GP.
While Briatore was initially handed a lifetime ban from F1 for his involvement in the cheating scandal, this ban was eventually overturned by French courts.
The track
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is hosted by the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. This is one of the older tracks on the calendar, with its inaugural race hosted in 1980. Michael Schumacher currently holds the record for most wins around this track. The circuit is 4.909 km in length with 19 corners, three main straights, and one DRS zone — it will certainly be tricky to make overtakes.
What happened last year at the F1 Emilia Romagna GP?
Max Verstappen made history in Imola, becoming the second driver to score eight consecutive pole positions. The previous driver to manage this achievement was Aryton Senna in 1989.
Verstappen took home the win at last year’s race, with Lando Norris finishing with seven tenths of a second in P2. Charles Leclerc took home P3 for Ferrari.
This wasn’t the only victory Verstappen scored over the weekend. He competed in the Nurburgring 24 hours iRacing championship with Team RedLine. Verstappen completed a stint of the sim race following his qualifying session, helping the team take the win.
2025 F1 Emilia Romagna GP Schedule (Track Time)
Free Practice 1: Friday, May 16, 1:30-2:30pm CEST
Practice 2: Friday, May 16, 5:00-6:00pm CEST
Practice 3: Saturday, May 17, 12:30-1:30pm CEST
Qualifying: Saturday, May 17, 4:00-5:00pm CEST
Race: Sunday, May 18, 3:00pm CEST
Tune into the race to see if Colapinto can score points in his debut race with Alpine, if Piastri can continue his winning streak, or if Antonelli can score his maiden podium on home soil.
