The 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix marks 30 years since the 1994 race where we lost two all-time legends – Roland Ratzenberger and three-time world champion, Ayrton Senna. Sebastian Vettel made an emotional tribute to Senna by creating T-shirts (as pictured), completed a remembrance run for both drivers, and also drove Senna’s McLaren MP4/8 during a demonstration lap before the race.
On race day, the Tifosi were out in full force around the Autodromo Enzo E Dino Ferrari. Crimson merchandise and roars of encouragement filled the grandstands when number 16, Charles Leclerc drove through the chequered flag in P3. After initially letting Norris out of his sight, his mid-race tyres seem to come alive. The pace of both Ferraris was impressive, however it was not enough for Leclerc to get ahead of Norris, ending with a seven second gap across the line.
Carlos Sainz had a mixed race. He held back Oscar Piastri for 28 laps, however the pure pace advantage the McLaren had was inevitable. Finishing P5, Sainz expressed his concern that Ferrari were “simply lacking” in pace.
Imola proved to be a fabulous weekend for McLaren and fans of the team in papaya. Norris came 0.7 seconds away from his second, and consecutive win. Piastri also had a tough fight with the Ferraris, eventually passing Sainz but not quite quick enough to overtake Leclerc too. This P2 for Norris was McLaren’s best result at Imola for 30 years.
The Williams garage had a weekend to forget – especially for the Thai driver, Alex Albon. After the second pitstop, Albon had an issue with tyres, stating something was wrong over the radio. Concerningly, his tyre was not fitted correctly leading to another pitstop. Throughout the whole race, he made a total of four pitstops. Due to the testing conditions, the team decided to save the running of the car and to retire.
The one stop strategy for Logan Sargeant saw him begin the race on the hard tyres. He completed the one stop and guided the FW46 home for P17. This finish was a positive step forward considering Sargeant had a discussion with team principal, James Vowles regarding his seat. A steady P17 may be a positive for Sargeant.
A special commendation to Valtteri Bottas for pitting on lap nine and sticking with the one stop strategy. He drove the tyres for 54 laps through the chequered flag, unfortunately finishing in P18.
The second race of the European leg of the championship will be held in Monaco. It will be the 81st race around the streets of Monte Carlo.
Written by Frankie.
Featured Image Credit: ©XPBimages
The Fastest Sector 