The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, or simply Imola, has been part of racing history since 1953.
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The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is not a race that can boast of a lot of history. After all, the first edition of the race was held just a couple of years ago in 2020. This year will mark the third anniversary of the Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2020 and 2021 respectively have been the only two winners of the event so far. When it comes to the circuit, however, there is a lot of history ingrained in its asphalt.
The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, or simply Imola, has been part of racing history since 1953. Construction of the circuit began in 1950 and it was ready for testing purposes by 1952. It took a decade before an official F1 competition was held at the track but 1963 saw a non-championship race held at the venue.
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The track also had the honor of hosting the Italian Grand Prix in 1980. From 1981, Imola became home to the San Marino Grand Prix, hosting 27 F1 championship races till 2006. In 2020, Imola was brought back to the F1 calendar as the Emilia Romagna GP. It was supposed to be a one-off race as the coronavirus pandemic at the time led to the cancellation of several pre-scheduled races on the F1 calendar. However, positive responses from both drivers and fans saw it re-instated as one of the staple venues of the sport.
The Imola circuit has a distance of 4.909 km and 19 turns. The speed trap lies between corners 16 and 17. The total race distance is 309.049 km, covered by a total of 63 laps. Lewis Hamilton has the distinction of recording the fastest lap at the venue with a time of 1:15.484s in a Mercedes.
| Race Distance | 309.049 km |
| Circuit Length | 4.909 km |
| Laps | 63 |
| Turns | 19 |
| Fastest Lap | 1:15.484s: Lewis Hamilton, 2020. (Mercedes) |
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen emerged victorious at the Emilia Romagna GP last year as then title-rival Lewis Hamilton finished P2. McLaren’s Lando Norris bagged an impressive podium place as he came in third. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came fifth and sixth respectively.
