F1 will return to Imola this weekend after canceling the race in 2023 due to excessive rains and floods in the Emilia Romagna region. However, the heavens may open up again for the 2024 edition of the Emilia Romagna GP. There are multiple forecasts of rain spicing up the Imola weekend, especially with predictions of thunderstorms on race day.
The Imola weekend will take place from May 17 to 19. It is the forecast for Sunday, the 19th, that will worry F1 teams and drivers. According to GP Fans, there is a 45% chance of rain at 3 PM local when the race gets underway.
Ciao, Imola!
Kicking off our European season with a trip to a legendary venue#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/hLUMw5uNjI
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 13, 2024
The weather reports suggest that the rain threat persists through the afternoon and may increase to a thunderstorm towards the evening time. However, the weather on Friday and Saturday seems much better with temperatures of 24-25 degrees Celsius expected.
On Friday, there is a minute 6% chance of rain during FP1 and none for FP2. The weather will mostly remain clear with some cloud cover coming intermittently. On Saturday too, there is no major forecast for any precipitation, as the FP3 and qualifying sessions are likely to stay dry.
Teams and drivers would want to nail their setups and test their upgrades at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on Friday and Saturday under the sunny weather. Given how the Emilia Romagna GP is the first European race of the season, many teams are expected to bring upgrades to their cars.
On top of that, Imola is also not a sprint weekend, unlike the last two in China and Miami. Thus, teams would be quite happy to get all three practice sessions unlike just one during the past two weekends.
Besides, all those teams, who are bringing upgrades, would crave track time. So, the return to the traditional weekend format will help these teams test their new bits. However, with Red Bull setting the benchmark, which teams can take the fight to them in Imola?
McLaren and Ferrari could fight Red Bull at the Emilia Romagna GP
McLaren brought their first major upgrade package at the Miami GP and immediately got positive results. Lando Norris drove the newly upgraded MCL38 and got his elusive maiden F1 win, thereby finally getting the monkey off his back.
However, from a team perspective, McLaren got a big boost due to Norris’ performance, as it validated their confidence in their upgrade plans for this season. At Imola, Oscar Piastri will also get the new package like Norris. So, the Woking outfit can make a big bid to close the gap to Red Bull by honing in their upgrades.
On the other hand, Ferrari are also bringing their first upgrade of the season in Imola. Given it is their first home race of the season, the Italian team would leave no stone unturned to take a big step forward this weekend.
Team boss Frederic Vasseur has been hyping up this package since the first two races of the season. Therefore, many would expect the SF-24 to hassle Red Bull and Max Verstappen in Imola.
Ferrari have been consistently behind the Dutchman’s car in 2024 so far. However, they have been a tenth or two shy of matching the RB20’s pace during both qualifying and the race. So, if Ferrari can bridge that gap, they can be in a position to fight for the Grand Prix win.
