Fast, flowing and ever so old school. Imola is a proper test of man and machine. There’s little room for error, and the proximity of barriers and trees accentuates the sense of speed around this magical three-mile circuit that punishes mistakes and rewards bravery.
To take you on a – metaphorical – lap ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, we’ve got someone who’s raced here in everything from single-seaters to sportscars. That’s right folks, we managed to prize McLaren test and development driver Oliver Turvey away from the simulator for a few minutes to give you all the Imola insight you could ever wish for…
I’d like the option
The pit straight is technically quite long because Turn 19, at the end of the lap, and Turn One are just slight kinks along a narrow straight. There used to be a chicane that brought you on to the pit straight but now, with that removed, drivers will be travelling at well over 200 mph to Turn Two. With DRS along this straight there will be opportunities to overtake and, because there’s a chicane at the end of it, you’ve got the option to go on the inside or outside to pull off a move. It’s important to get a good exit out of Turn Three because Turn Four is taken flat and you’ve got a long run to the next chicane.
Turn on the aggression
This chicane will be super-fast in the current generation of F1 cars – even faster than the first chicane. The kerbs are relatively flat, which means you can be quite aggressive and as you come out of Turn Six you’ve got a short run to Turn Seven.
Put a pin in it
Turn Seven is a long, open hairpin that’s not too slow. The exit is crucial because it’s uphill and takes you all the way to a high-speed left-hander: you want to run out all the way to the right-hand side of the track to give you the best line through Turns Eight and Nine.
No room for mistakes
Turn Eight can be taken flat out very easily. You come over a crest and must make sure you keep the car to the right-hand side of the track for the best approach to Turn Nine – the fastest, and probably most exciting, corner on the track. You brake very briefly for this corner, taking it in sixth gear and try to carry as much speed as you can while pulling 5 g. You have to be careful: there’s not much run-off area and therefore margin for error.
Up for the challenge
You fly down the hill from Turn Nine, flat out through Turn 10, to what is the most challenging part of the track. The entry to Turn 11 is very fast – you take it flat – and, as you go through the corner, you start to brake while trying to set the car up for Turn 12. This is tricky because you’re turning through T11, but you also want to try to brake in a straight line as much as possible for T12. The gradient change here only adds to the challenge, as you swoop downhill and then climb uphill from the apex of T12. You need to be mindful of Turn 13 too: it’s a small kink but it tightens your exit, which can make getting good traction for the run up the hill to Turn 14 far from straightforward.
Survival
This chicane is much tighter than the previous two and not quite as fast. You flick the car from right to left and take as much kerb as you dare to effectively straight-line the chicane and carry as much speed as possible. Being able to ride the kerbs through here is important but there’s a balance to be struck between setting the car up for this, without sacrificing too much performance in other parts of the track. The kerbs here are tough on the driver but also the car in terms of reliability. It’s about being fast, but it’s about survival too!
Locked up
The braking zone for Turn 17 is tricky because it’s a fast corner and you’re travelling downhill. Front locking is common here and it’s also a potential overtaking spot if you can stay close to the car ahead coming down the hill from Turn 15. Once again, the run-off area is minimal and Turn 18 is effectively the last corner. It’s quite deceiving: it looks like a straightforward, 90-degree left-hander, but you’ve got to get it absolutely right to maximise your speed down what is now a very long straight without the chicane that used to be at the end of the lap.
Turvey’s top tip
This is a proper old-school circuit that’s as fun to drive as it is challenging. It’s very fast, very narrow and there are lots of gradient changes. With minimal run-off areas, this track punishes mistakes. Unlike most of the circuits we visit, this one is anti-clockwise which, coupled with the high speeds, means it’s going to be tough on the drivers’ necks. With just one practice session this weekend, drivers are going to have to learn the track quickly if they want to nail it in qualifying – it’s going to put them under even more pressure. And, for that reason, all the homework and preparation drivers and teams do before this weekend could really make the difference. They will want to arrive here with a strong baseline setup for the car that allows them to hit the ground running.

@迈开Lun🍼 @🔯赛恩酱 @Jansky⚡ @大蒜头15号 @泡椒476

@しんきろう蜃 @故意切线阻挡 @泡椒476

练习开始了
看直播熟悉一下赛道

练习结束
预计 嘉斯利 勒克莱尔 雷诺 进Q3，剩下三个位置迈凯伦 阿尔本 佩雷兹4个人争

运气不错两个晋级
没想到小牛科维亚特也那么快

还以为诺里斯可以靠前点的。垮了垮了。看明天能捡几分。好在这条赛道不像上站，红胎压力不大。九十红起应该也还好

无聊的比赛。等一停博弈

诺里斯车有问题吗？慢这么多
赛恩斯速度倒是不错，超了以后出速度了比前车快

是前面的全部都在压速度吗？
拉塞尔比中游这些人居然只慢点2点3的样子

巡航速度比地球组前四慢点3以上，没希望争地球组前三了。混分吧

这节奏是要两停？
又或者是黄胎超耐磨的？

都上硬胎了
看来是真的费胎
诺里斯这换黄胎的要两停啊

看起来不错啊
赛恩斯比换胎那几个快一点，等里卡多带队再被马格努森挡几圈的话就 可以overtake啦