Formula 1 is already working on the seventh Grand Prix weekend of 2024, and Imola is only the first European destination. This ensures that the Dutch viewer does not have to get up early or fight against sleep in the evening, but that it simply becomes a traditional racing afternoon, with enough ingredients present for an exciting showdown.
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix starts at 3:00 PM Dutch time, at least the warm-up lap. Max Verstappen will lead the field around the circuit in Imola, and about three minutes later the drivers will take their place again to prepare for the main menu of the Grand Prix weekend.
The drivers have to complete 63 laps of the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, and without interruptions, a race duration of about an hour and 25 minutes can be expected. However, there is a good chance that there will be interruptions. We saw enough incidents in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and there were also regular prizes on the opening days of the weekend, although the qualifying itself went without red flags.
Favorites in the top three
The leaders of the three strongest teams can be found in the top three, after Oscar Piastri received a grid penalty and was relegated to fifth place on the grid. Max Verstappen performed impressively with his eighth pole position in a row, but Red Bull Racing, McLaren and Ferrari are evenly matched, and it seems that Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc can also seriously hope for a victory from places two and three.
Behind the trio, Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri provide backing for their leaders, while Sergio Pérez has to come from midfield. Pérez missed Q3, and will start the race eleventh. The Mexican must mainly hope for damage limitation, and will actually hope for a favorable Safety Car period. There is also a chance that the Red Bull driver will opt for an alternative strategy.
Entry level classes
However, the avid racing fan does not have to wait long for action in the morning hours. Formula 3 will start at 8:30 am with the main race, including Red Bull top talent Arvid Lindblad. Then at 10:00 AM it is Formula 2’s turn, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman among others.
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