A Weekend to Remember at Imola
Image: Formula One
It was a memorable weekend for many reasons at Imola, with the emotional tributes to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger on the 30th anniversary of the tragic weekend at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Whilst we witnessed yet another Verstappen victory, the tight battle between Ferrari and McLaren looks like it might be a recurring theme throughout the remainder of the season. With so much to cover, let’s get stuck into the highlights of the 2024 Imola Grand Prix.
Qualifying
Image: Moneygram Haas F1 Team
Max Verstappen secured his 49th career pole position with a commanding performance, equalling Ayrton Senna’s record of eight consecutive poles. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claimed the second spot, showcasing strong pace on his team’s home circuit.
Lando Norris delivered an impressive lap to take third place. The session saw competitive times from multiple teams, with Mercedes' George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finishing in fourth and fifth respectively, struggling to put pressure on the McLaren cars for the top three positions. The shock of the session was Sergio Perez’s elimination from Q2, finishing a disappointing P11, especially behind both RB cars.
Tip-Top Tsunoda
Arguably the driver of the day was Yuki Tsunoda who, after a rocky start to the season, has now established himself as one of the quickest drivers on the current grid. The 24-year-old Japanese driver currently sits in P10 in the drivers championship, ten points ahead of his teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Having qualified P8 in qualifying, Tsunoda drove a brilliant race despite having lost positions to Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll at the start.
Yuki Tsunoda on his future in F1:
“I never heard yet anything from Red Bull, to be honest so I’m not sure what’s going on there”
Tsunoda also out-qualified both his teammate and Red Bul driver Sergio Perez, which raised some eyebrows as more and more conversations are starting regarding the 2025 F1 driver market. However, Tsunoda himself has not heard anything from Red Bull regarding his future in the team.
Papayas vs Flightless Bulls
Image: McLaren F1
In light of Lando Norris’ maiden win in Miami a fortnight ago, it was clear that Red Bull didn’t have an answer to the rapid McLaren. Whilst Verstappen managed to claim his 39th pole position, the papaya cars lined up P2 and P3 with just over two-tenths covering the trio, showing McLaren’s steep trajectory to the sharp end of the grid.
Sergio Perez struggled the entire weekend with a dismal P11 starting positions and a strategy that simply didn’t work, running the hard-compound tyres for the majority of the race. In the end, the Mexican delivered a P8 finish which was the most it seemed the Red Bull driver could do.
Verstappen on the tense battle for P1:
“I couldn’t afford to make too many mistakes, luckily we didn’t and I’m super happy to win here”
The McLaren cars have been on the money for the entire weekend. Oscar Piastri had a burst of pace as he engaged in a tense battle with Carlos Sainz, which proved fruitful as the Aussie came home in fourth. Lando Norris, however, has been the star of the weekend with a nail-biting finish, placing pressure on Verstappen for the win. The pair were separated by under a second at the chequered flag - hopefully, we’ll see more finishes like this over the course of this season.
A Touching Tribute
Image: @F1 on Twitter/X
The 2024 running of the Imola GP marks 30 years since that dreadful weekend in 1994, which saw Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna lose their lives. On Saturday, April 30th, Ratzenberger lost control of his Simtek car during qualifying and later succumbed to his injuries. The next day, Senna crashed his Williams FW16 at Tamburello, which, in 1994, was a fast left-hander. For reasons that are still unconfirmed today, Senna also lost his life that weekend, making the entire event one to remember, for all the wrong reasons.
The tragic events over the weekend saw a monumental shift in safety regulations, ensuring no driver would lose their life again. Whilst the introduction of the halo has proved life-saving, Ratzenberger and Senna’s deaths have paved the way for a safer racing world for us all, something we should be extremely grateful for.
Image: Formula One
To mark the 30th anniversary of the 1994 weekend at Imola, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel led a paddock-wide track run and a tribute to commemorate both drivers. Vettel also drove Senna’s McLaren MP4/8, the car the Brazilian drove in 1993, which the German currently owns. The cherry on top of the cake was when Vettel flew the Austrian and Brazilian flag out of the cockpit, just like Senna intended to do had he finished the race that day.
The drivers also sported green and yellow t-shirts and balaclavas commemorating the legacy of Ayrton Senna, who remains one of the most iconic drivers in motorsport history. It’s safe to say that F1 will never forget the lives of Ratzenberger and Senna, as their legacy continues to live on forever.
Listen to the latest episode of the Race Reaction Podcast, where we cover all these points in greater depth. Listen to the full episode here:
