For unfortunate reasons, we could not write previews and bets for the last two race weekends, but now we’re back!
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, or just Imola as everyone usually calls it, should be a fun race as
News and buildup
In case you hadn’t heard, Alpine made a driver change. Jack Doohan is out and Franco Colapinto is in. This was obviously well expected as rumours were floating around since the off-season that Doohan would only be driving six races. Based on his performances last year, Colapinto should be a slight upgrade.
Most of the top teams are bringing in updates, including McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari. Especially with focus on the rear.
The track
Imola returned to the calendar during the Covid restriction years. It’s been a delightful addition as Imola is one of the classic, pure racetracks. The location also draws a huge crowd every time.
Famous for its chicanes, Imola is a fairly difficult track for overtaking. There’s just one DRS zone as well.
Pirelli are bringing in C4, C5 and C6 tyres which means we’ll see some of the softest ones being used. If drivers have to make multiple pitstops, there could be some excitement in terms of strategy choices. It’s likely that the race will be decided at the start and in the pits.
Favourites and underdogs
Max Verstappen has won three times in a row here, so he clearly likes this track. With that said, the McLarens looked faster and practice and due to his good form, Oscar Piastri has to be considered the main favourite.
Lando Norris had some decent races here in the past, although he’s never won in Emilia Romagna before.
Mercedes typically struggle a bit and Kimi Antonelli looked weak in practice. But there’s always the possibility of a surprise, especially after the performance we saw by him in the Miami qualifying sessions.
It’s a relatively simple track to learn, so the young drivers should be up to speed immediately. Hadjar and Bortoleto could be two drivers to look out for. Hadjar has looked fast all year thus far, while Bortoleto appeared to finally catch up to Hülkenberg at the last race weekend.
The obvious prediction is a top 3 that consist of Piastri, Norris and Verstappen with Leclerc and Russell just a bit behind. That’s how it’s been most of the year and it will likely repeat itself.
The big question is who among the big three will be the pole sitter and race winner. An early guess is Piastri, but don’t count out Norris or Verstappen.
Weather forecast
The weather around the track should be clear. Mostly sunny with some clouds, and only a 10% chance of rain. Temperatures will be in the early 20s Celsius which is near perfect for F1 racing.
TV times
The race takes place at 3 pm Sunday local time and qualifying is at 4 pm Saturday local time.
That means Europeans get the race in the classic afternoon timeslot, while Americans will have to wake up early. For everyone in Asia and Australia, the race will be in the evening/night hours.
Of course, there are fans all over the world and in many different time zones. You can convert to your time here.
Bets for Imola
We will be posting bets with write-ups here as we find them. Bets will also be shared on the general predictions page, on Reddit and on Bettin.gs.
Gasly to beat Hadjar @ 2.60 (2 units) (Bwin)
Hadjar was slightly faster in qualifying but the Racing Bulls cars usually drop back in the race. Gasly tends do to the same, but still stays relatively competitive in races and probably has the better car. He also has more track experience here.
Leclerc to beat Hamilton @ 1.40 (2 units) (Unibet)
Leclerc clearly has the upper hand. The two Ferrari drivers start next to each other. Without any outside circumstances, Leclerc will likely pull away from Hamilton in the race.
Hülkenberg to beat Bortoleto @ 2.25 (1 unit) (Bwin)
Bortoleto has gained on Hülkenberg recently, and he looks promising. But this is close to a 50-50 matchup due to various circumstances and picking the experienced driver at odds 2.25 seems good.
Albon to beat Sainz @ 2.65 (1 unit) (Stake)
We’ve seen Sainz qualify ahead of Albon before and lose to him in the race. That could happen again. They had almost identical times in qualy. Albon’s tyre management could put him ahead by the end of the race, though it should be said that Sainz is finally on the rise, hence one unit only.
Norris to beat Verstappen @ 2.28 (1 unit) (SBO)
A close matchup. Verstappen is the superior driver and starts a bit ahead, but Norris has the better car and tends to find some pace by the end of races. Anything above odds 2.20 holds value.
Verstappen to beat Russell @ 1.47 (1 unit) (SBO)
At the same time, Verstappen should be able to keep Russell behind. He hasn’t always done that this year, but Verstappen has typically been great at Imola while Russell has made some mistakes over the years.
Piastri to win @ 1.50 (1 unit) (Unibet)
A final bet on the race winner. More for entertainment than anything else. Piastri is cold as ice and should drive this one home from pole if circumstances are normal. Wish we could get better odds, and I wouldn’t bet this under 1.45, but at 1.50 there is some slight value.