I’m not going to sugarcoat this one, it was a rather uneventful return to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola for F1. A pity, because hopes were high after the 2023 edition was cancelled due to flooding in the Emilia Romagna region. That being said, there were a couple of standout performances whilst a handful of drivers dropped a clanger in round seven of the 2024 season:
Top of the class:
Max Verstappen – Qualifying: 1st | Race: 1st
Probably the most uncomfortable race victory Max has had since these regulations were introduced in 2022, just 0.7 seconds separated the Dutchman from good friend Lando Norris when the chequered flag flew after 63 laps.
Verstappen’s sheer understanding of his car arguably separates him from the rest of the field, the upgraded Red Bull looked at sea in Free Practice, three to four-tenths off the pace.
Yet, by Saturday, Max was able to take pole position from the McLaren’s in a tightly contested Q3 and pretty much led lights to flag on Sunday. He has another 25 points and a winners’ trophy under his belt, but it does appear that he has competition going forward.
Lando Norris – Qualifying: 2nd (promoted from 3rd) | Race: 2nd
The Brit wasn’t quite able to repeat his Miami heroics, but Lando certainly gave it his all to become the first driver since Charles Leclerc in 2019 to take their first two wins back-to-back.
Just 0.061 seconds separated Norris from his first pole of the season, but teammate Oscar Piastri was able to slip into that gap. However, Piastri was given a three-place penalty for blocking in Q1, so Norris was the one to line up alongside Max on the front row.
The opening stint saw Norris drop away from the back of the Red Bull, but he was comfortably able to hold P2 ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Stopping earlier meant he had a 3-second gap once the Monégasque pitted.
Lando then struggled to clear traffic whilst saving tyres, allowing Charles to close within DRS range, but he was able to withstand this. He then set about scything into Max’s five-second lead.
With four laps to go, Norris cut the gap to around 1.5 seconds and was in DRS range on the final lap. But unfortunately, the Brit didn’t quite have the opportunity to snatch the victory. Settling for P2, his fourth podium of the season, which moves Lando to just six points behind Sergio Pérez in the standings.
Honourable mentions go to Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda, the ninth and tenth place finishes in the race. Lance scored his first points since Australia, pulling off a long first stint climb up from 13th on the grid. Whilst Yuki was the star of the midfield with seventh in qualifying on Saturday followed by a solid run to take his fourth points finish in five races.
The struggle bus:
Fernando Alonso – Qualifying: 19th (started from the pit lane) | Race: 19th
This was, without a doubt, Alonso’s worst showing in F1 since his return in 2021. A hefty smash at Rivazza I in FP3 put the Spaniard on the back foot heading into qualifying. The team did a great job repairing the car in the timeframe, but Alonso set the slowest lap, only to be saved from last place on the grid by Logan Sargeant, losing his lap time to track limits.
Aston Martin elected to change several components after qualifying which demoted Fernando to a pit lane start, he would finish last of the classified runners. In spite of upgrades, it looks like Aston are looking over their shoulders at VCARB and Haas for the minor points instead of fighting Mercedes in front of them like at the start of the season.
Sergio Pérez – Qualifying: 11th | Race: 8th
The Mexican’s respectable start to 2024 appears to be unravelling similarly to his 2023 season. Having struggled all Free Practice with his upgraded Red Bull, Sergio brought out the red flag in FP3 after getting beached in the gravel at Variante Alta. He was knocked out in Q2 for the first time this season in Saturday’s qualifying session.
Electing to start on the hard tyres, Pérez was able to jump Daniel Ricciardo at the start. However, he had to use his tyre advantage from his later stop to pass both Nico Hülkenberg and Tsunoda on his way to a lowly P8, not even challenging the Mercedes at the end of the race. Checo also had an early visit to the gravel trap at Rivazza I which certainly didn’t aid his recovery drive.
Sergio drops to P3 in the standings and considering how impressive the McLaren has looked in the last two rounds, he will have to pick up some results soon to avoid dropping further down.
Dishonourable mentions go to Williams and Ferrari. The former allowed Alexander Albon on track with an insecure wheel, which gave them a 10-second stop/go penalty as the Thai driver had to complete a whole lap before being serviced. Meanwhile, Ferrari had strong pace in Free Practice, but just seemed to evaporate in qualifying and the race. Despite several upgrades, they are a clear third-best at present, which will be disappointing to the Tifosi as there were high hopes for a race victory on home soil.
Up next for the paddock is the Monaco Grand Prix, where Qualifying at least promises to be a spectacle on the streets of Monte Carlo if last season was anything to go by. Can McLaren or Ferrari stop Max’s run of eight consecutive pole positions? Tune in on the weekend of 25th & 26th May to find out.
