Imola may return

[beelsebob]

http://www.autodromoimola.it/it/notizie ... imola.html

Imola have announced that they are now F1-ready again, so we may see grands prix back there \o/

[Gerhard Berger]

http://www.autodromoimola.it/it/notizie-autodromo-di-imola/282-rinnovata-fino-al-2014-lomologazione-fia-allautodromo-internazionale-enzo-e-dino-ferrari-di-imola.html

Imola have announced that they are now F1-ready again, so we may see grands prix back there \o/

I heard they got rid of the Variante Bassa which should make the track more overtaking friendly and faster.

I think it will struggle to return to the already packed calendar though, and if is to return it would probably have to alternate with Monza.

[HampusA]

What corner is that? Can´t find Bassa on any trackmap :S

Variante Alta maybe?

[Gerhard Berger]

What corner is that? Can´t find Bassa on any trackmap :S

Variante Alta maybe?

It was the final chicane before the pit straight. Now it is just a straight run from the second Rivazza to the Tamburello chicane.

[HampusA]

Thanks. Pretty interesting. Speeds will be insane down to T1,

[Mr Alcatraz]

I think it will struggle to return to the already packed calendar though, and if is to return it would probably have to alternate with Monza.

They should replace Valencia with it, get in the European GP rotation, and call it "The European Grand Prix of San Marino"

[ESPImperium]

They have also tightened up alot of the corners tho, the only ones they havne touched are 8, 9 and 13.

Old map:


New Map:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... eTrack.jpg

By tighten them up, all they have added is those new FIA/FIM approved kerbing that means you can run a bike over the track by removing a bit of kerbing that makes a car actually go arround it. The same bit of kerbing that was added to Barcelona this year for turn 7 into turn 8.

Id recon that Imola will be back on F1 duty in 2013 as part of a rotation of tracks that will take the European GP as the teams and drivers want to have a track roation for this and for Valencia and Cataluna to alternate the Spanish GP same way Nurburgring and Hockenheim do with the German.

Id recon that there will be a track or two dropped in Aisia soon due to poor attendances, or Government support being withdrawn.

Id love to go back to Imola, as i think we lack shorter tracks on the F1 callender, and by short, i mean less than 5km, once we had A1 Ring, Imola, Hungaroring and Interlagos. Now we only have 2 short tracks, more would be a massive plus for F1 as there are too many 5.3 to 5.8km tracks now.

[RacingManiac]

I'd love to see Imola, despite a track being hard to pass on it had some pretty tense race in the past, and the setting is just beautiful...

[gridwalker]

The number of circuits competing for a race is getting to be a bit silly; I can see biannual rotations becoming standard practise in a few years time.

[Gerhard Berger]

I'd love to see Imola, despite a track being hard to pass on it had some pretty tense race in the past, and the setting is just beautiful...

I think they massacred the track after 1994, though that was to be expected. It used to be quite high speed.

The track was not that good for passing, but i think it is nostalgic to many because it had a nice atmosphere and typically signalled the start of the European part of the season.

[timbo]

I can see biannual rotations becoming standard practise in a few years time.

Well, I think it is mostly positive thing.

[Tufty]

I hope it does, it's a lovely track and full of history. And without that fiddly little chicane at the end of the lap, it should be a lot more interesting going into turn one [DRS, anyone?]

[HampusA]

More interesting as in overtakes into and out of T1 or do you mean the fact that the cars will run through there with DRS activated?

[Tufty]

More interesting as in overtakes into and out of T1 or do you mean the fact that the cars will run through there with DRS activated?

Counting Tamburello as T1, the overtakes into it as a result of DRS. Sorry forgot that little kink by the line.

[Tomba]

I've been at Imola circuit last weekend, and indeed the final chicane has been straightened, along with the construction of the new pit complex.

The old pitboxes were simply too small for more F1 action, so these were demolished, and new ones constructed closer to Rivazza. This has the strange effect that the main grandstand with the press commentary boxes is now not pointing straight onto the pit straight, while drivers having pitted have to drive through the former pitlane before rejoining the track (which is still at the same place as before).

Being used to Spa, and having seen Hockenheim, Monza and the Valencia street circuit, I believe Imola is just too small a venue to host a Formula One race. Even more so, it is only 250km from Monza.