Formula 1 Italy- Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Prediction: Disaster for Ferrari at home

The first part of the season was anything but boring. We have walked across continents, and finally, this weekend, we arrive where Formula 1 is loved the most, at the legendary Imola track, where the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will be held. Four regular and two sprint weekends are behind us, and now the European part of the season finally begins. Although we had one weekend of rest, the F1 kitchen brings us several new (somewhat tried and tested) recipes this weekend – changes in drivers and team management, and a series of improvements that the teams bring to Imola.

Italian GP

Set in the countryside of the Emilia-Romagna region, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari will once again be the scene of a top-class motoring spectacle. The 4,909-metre Imola circuit, one of the few to run in an anti-clockwise direction, is renowned for its technical complexity: narrow straights, sharp turns, and minimal run-off zones make it extremely demanding for drivers, while limited overtaking opportunities emphasize qualifying speed and strategy. Ferrari fans consider Imola to be Ferrari's home track, as it is less than 100 km from the Ferrari factory in Maranello. Between 1999 and 2006, at the height of Ferrari's dominance in Formula 1, Michael Schumacher delighted home fans with six San Marino Grand Prix victories. Schumacher not only won in 2001, when his younger brother Ralf won, but the series is additionally completed by the victory in 1994, when he was the driver of the Benetton team.

Mixed feelings ahead of the race

Ahead of the race weekend, some teams may be satisfied, some may not. McLaren dominates the list of satisfied drivers, as the leader in both the drivers' and constructors' standings. With his victory in Miami, Piastri further strengthened his place at the top of the standings with a 16-point lead over teammate Lando Norris. Lando, although not far behind his teammate and with an evidently good car in his hands, may be able to move into the dissatisfied category, because from the beginning of the season, it somehow looked like he would be the one to emerge as the team's first driver. However, there is something to be said about Oscar, who, thanks solely to his good driving and cool head (well, and the best car on the track), is currently the better driver of the best team. Behind the two McLarens is defending champion Max Verstappen, who still holds the lead with 99 points to his name.

Oscar Piastri on pole position in Imola!

The biggest shock of these qualifications was the elimination of the two Ferraris and Kimi Antonelli in Q2, they will start the race as 11th Leclerc, 12th Hamilton, and 13th Antonelli. In addition, we saw two big incidents in Q1. Yuki Tsunoda crashed in the Villeneuve chicane at the very beginning of Q1, and at the very end of Q1, Franco Colapinto crashed in Tamburello. Pole Position was won by Oscar Piastri in a McLaren in a tense finish. Second in the race will be the current champion, Max Verstappen, in Red Bull. A fantastic lap was driven by George Russell in Mercedes - he will start the race from third place. Lando Norris in McLaren finished qualifying in fourth place. He lost crucial time in the middle sector. Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin was fantastic - he will start the race from fifth place. He will be joined in the third row by Carlos Sainz in Williams in sixth place. The fourth row is filled by other Williams and Aston Martin drivers – Alexander Albon is seventh and Lance Stroll is eighth. The top ten was rounded out by Isack Hadjar in the Racing Bulls in ninth and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine in tenth.

Expert Betting Tips

This is a very difficult period and weekend for Ferrari. They are far behind the other top-level teams, and in the race that means most to them, in their home in Italy, they failed to make their fans happy in the qualifications. It will be even more difficult in the race, they don’t have enough speed, and both Leclerc and Hamilton are struggling to control the car and get the maximum out of it. They will start from 11 (Leclerc) and 12 (Hamilton) positions. We believe that Leclerc will find a way to move up to the top six.

OUR PREDICTION: Charles Leclerc in top 6