The Infamous F1 Tamburello Corner Explained: The Story Behind the Notorious Curves of the Imola GP

F1, the biggest traveling circus, returns to Europe for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. For the fourth race of the calendar year, we travel to Italy. A home Grand Prix for Ferrari, the F1 team would love a full house – especially with the form they currently are in right now. Added back to the calendar in 2020 after a reshuffle because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is staying till at least 2025.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, more easily referred to as the Imola GP, will host the first of the three sprint qualifying of the current Formula 1 season.

The deadly Tamburello corner

Imola went through a lot of alterations and renovations to meet the F1 safety standards. And now is a much safer track in comparison. And also holds the FIA grade one licence. We will, however, always remember Imola for two tragic deaths dating back to 1994. Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger both lost their lives on the same racing weekend. Ratzenberger lost his life to a high-speed crash at the Villeneuve corner during qualifying.

Equally sad was Ayrton Senna’s case as he crashed into the infamous Tamburello corner. After the tragedies, the corner was never driven flat-out, and they also added a gravel pit for extra measure. The three-time world champion Senna could not maneuver the extremely challenging corner. And crashed into the unprotected concrete wall. Which eventually led to his demise.

Read More: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix F1 Schedule: When & Where to Watch, Timings & Live Stream

There is only one DRS zone at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. It comes right before the run-down to the high-speed Tamburello chicane. And out of the many corners, the Tamburello chicane is made up of turns two, three, and four at Imola, so look out for those corners.

Senna’s impact on the sport was large and overwhelming. There are multiple venues across the globe honoring him; a statue stands tall of the Brazilian at Imola, as well.

F1 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: Track Introduction

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix officially named Rolex Gran Premio Del Made In Italy e Dell’Emilia-Romagna. Was a new name to the 2020 F1 calendar. However, the host track the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari has been part of Formula 1 for decades. More commonly known as Imola, based on the name of the city, the track is situated. And the race gets its name from simply the region the track is based in, Emilia Romagna that is.

Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – General view during the race Pool via Reuters/Davide Gennari

Unlike most major tracks, Imola runs in an anti-clockwise direction and runs for 63 laps. But that wasn’t always the case. The number of laps has changed over the years and so has the track. Also known as an extremely difficult and technical track, featuring many corners and complex braking points. It will be an excellent test for all the cars on the grid.

The track underwent several alterations, the latest coming in 2008. However, the track was added to the 2020 Formula 1 calendar after the disruption caused because of coronavirus. Returning in 2021 as well, we will race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit until 2025, at least! Good news for Ferrari fans as this is the second Italian Grand Prix after Monza.

Racing History

They named the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari after Enzo Ferrari and his son Alfredo. Commonly known as Imola, opened back in 1953. Imola features a total of 19 corners after all the latest renovations and alterations. And running in an anti-clockwise direction, the track runs for 3.050 miles.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix returned to Formula 1 after a gap of 14 years. Previously, Imola hosted the San Marino Grand Prix for 26 years in a row, every year from 1981 to 2006. Once in 1980, however, Imola replaced Monza and hosted the Italian Grand Prix.

Only one more weekend until the Imola (Emilia Romagna) Grand Prix! #ImolaGP #EmiliaRomagnaGP pic.twitter.com/H8abwpdzhC

— Paul McGinnes (@PaulMcG92) April 15, 2022

Imola has a rich history. And Michael Schumacher has left a mark here as well with an incredible seven wins at Imola. One of those coming against a fearless Fernando Alonso at the final San Marino Grand Prix in 2006. Ferrari as a constructor has the most wins at eight, a record they share with Williams.

Last time around Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recorded a win at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. And Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton did the same the previous year. Hamilton holds the record for the fastest lap at Imola. Setting a 1:15.484 during the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. However, after a changed layout, Fernando Alonso will forever hold the lap record on the previous layout with a 1:24.569. Which he set back in the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, the last of its kind!

Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – April 18, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in action during the race REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

It’s a difficult track to overtake on so the weekend’s sprint qualifying is extremely important. Apart from the extra championship points, the result of the sprint could give us a glimpse into the future. And predict the race winner.

Exciting results and racing coming your way as the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is a three-day race event. And every time a car gets on the track, there will be excitement and the results will matter.

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