The Imola circuit, officially known as the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, is an iconic race track steeped in history located in Imola, Italy. Here are some facts and history about the circuit:
- The circuit was opened in 1953 and was initially called the “Autodromo di Imola.” It was later renamed in honour of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the Ferrari car company, and his son Dino
- The track is 4.9 kilometres in length and has a total of 19 turns. It is a relatively narrow and technical circuit, which makes it challenging for drivers to overtake one another
- The Imola circuit has a rich history in motorsports. In addition to Formula One, it has hosted a variety of other races over the years, including motorcycle racing, touring car racing, and endurance racing with the World Endurance Series
- One of the most infamous incidents in the history of the Imola circuit occurred during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when three-time world champion Ayrton Senna was killed in a crash while leading the race. The circuit was subsequently redesigned to improve safety
- In recent years, the Imola circuit has hosted a variety of other major motorsports events, including the Superbike World Championship, the Blancpain GT Series, and the European Le Mans Series
This track guide will break down each corner to give you a better understanding of how to attack this flowing, undulating and fast circuit. The focus will be placed on racing lines, braking points, gearing, apex points and finally acceleration zones. Let’s get stuck in.
Turn 2,3 and 4 (Variante Tamburello)
After the left-hand kink which is classified as T1 a medium-speed left to right chicane kicks off the lap at Imola. Precision and kerb usage are key here. The chicane sequence ends off with a fast left-hander which feeds into a short straight.
Heading into T1 position the car over to the right-hand side of the straight. Keep your eyes focused ahead as you try to locate the first brake marker which is just after the marshalling post signalling where the access road is. From 6th gear brake and shift down to 2nd. Start to turn in just after your last gear change, as you’ll be aiming to get your inside wheels over the middle and last yellow sausage kerbs on the inside.
Immediately get back on the power as you look to run the car over the next apex which again you’ll be aiming for the last two yellow sausage kerbs. If you get the line right, the 2nd apex should be flat-out. The key is to aim for that later apex which will then stop you from running wide for the next corner which is also taken at full throttle. You don’t want to be past the middle point in the track as you come out the last part of the chicane so that the next corner can be taken flat.
For the last left-hander, run the inside kerb but not as much as what you should run in the chicane. Aim for a late apex and keep your steering inputs smooth.
Turn 5 and 6 (Variante Villeneuve)
Turns 5 and 6 is a medium-slow speed chicane which starts with a left before flowing into a right-hander.
The first part is high-speed so keep your focus ahead as you try to spot your entry point. Stay to the right until you reach the halfway point between the 100m and 50m board, start to brake and gear down to 3rd as you start to turn in for the first apex. When turning in aim to put your inside wheels over the entry kerb.
Try and stay in control of the car as you head into the next part. Straighten the wheel and shift down to 2nd as you start to brake for the 2nd apex. Keep in mind the slow in and fast out method. Use all the available kerb on the inside and get on the power as early as you can. There is a runoff kerb on the outside which you can run all the way to the edge.
Turn 7 (Tosa)
T7 is a left-hand hairpin that leads onto another short straight.
Keeping to the right, brake just after the 50m board and shift down to 2nd gear. You’ll be aiming for a mid to late apex. Stay close to the inside kerb and get on the power as early as you can as the exit opens up. Unwind the steering and let the car drift wide to all the available road on the exit.
Turn 8 and 9 (Piratella)
T8 is a right-hand kink that leads into a medium-speed left-hand turn called Piratella.
Coming over the crest, keep to the right and straighten your wheel as you head towards T9. Brake just after the 50m board and change down to 3rd gear. There is a natural camber to the corner which tends to push the car to the outside, so turn in earlier than you think while carrying a decent speed in. You can use the green piece of the kerbing but avoid using the sausage kerbs in this corner.
Get on the throttle just as you clip the apex and use your momentum as you let the car run wide onto the exit kerb. The only concern here is to keep your inside tyres on the inside of the solid white line to avoid track limits. Keep your steering lock on somewhat as you’ll be coming back over to the left-hand side for the next sequence of corners.
Turn 10, 11, 12 and 13 (Acque Minerali)
Coming out of T9 you’ll be heading down through a left-hand kink which is T10 and then into a very tricky sequence that starts with a sharp right into an even tighter right into left uphill chicane. Timing your downshifts and staying smooth on throttle, braking and steering inputs is key through this highly technical section.
Entering Acque Minerali, get over to the left and use the Italian-themed kerb on entry to help open up the corner. As you leave this entry kerb, roughly just before the 50m board, start to brake and shift down to 3rd as you aim to clip the inside kerb of T11 with your front right tyre.
Just after this apex get back on the power for a split second to help get the car settled. Run the car out to the exit kerb which becomes the entry kerb for T12 as you try to straighten your steering wheel as soon as you can. Once straight start to brake and shift down to 2nd for the first apex of the chicane. The braking here is not your traditional hard braking. It is more about slowing the car down to the correct speed and easing the brakes so that you don’t cause any unnecessary weight transfers which can unsettle the car with all the direction changes and undulation in this sequence.
As spoken about previously, slow in fast out is the mentality to have here. It’s all about the corner exit which leads onto a short straight. Overshooting here on the brakes will cost you heavily so rather brake early and get the car under control. Once the car is settled, start to turn in for the first part of the chicane and aim to run over the inside green part of the kerb, don’t run onto the inside sausage kerbs.
If you have your line right you should be able to get back on the throttle as you run over the first apex and with the right trajectory it will naturally take you out to the correct exit point onto the left-hand apex without running wide and hitting track limits. On the left-hander, there are some yellow sausage kerbs which must be avoided at all costs. Not only do they fall within track limits but they cause the car to bounce around heavily and can end your race by putting you into a wall.
Turn 14 and 15 (Variante Alta)
A tricky right into left chicane which is all about kerb usage and maximising the exit.
Heading down the straight move over to the left for the entry of the chicane. Start to brake as the entry kerb on the left begins. Brake hard initially and shift down to 2nd gear. Start to turn in just after you go under the sponsorship bridge. Abuse the kerb usage in the first apex as you get the entire car on top of the yellow sausage kerb (basically apex the grass). Then get ready to quickly change direction as you turn to the left and once again aim to get right onto the yellow sausage kerb. It will take time to get this perfect without exceeding track limits.
As you climb over the 2nd apex, avoid getting on the power too aggressively and rather be progressive and smooth with the throttle input so you can feed the throttle earlier. This will give you the best traction as you run wide onto the exit kerb. The track limit is again the white line, so always keep your inside wheels just inside of this line. Note it is super bumpy in this section due to the kerb usage so be smooth with the steering and think more “float the kerb” instead of hitting it.
Turn 16, 17, 18 and 19 (Rivazza)
Coming out of Variante Alta, straight line the not-so-straight straight, and use as little road as possible as you head through the right-hand kink which leads into Rivazza, which is T17 and T18. T17 is a very tricky downhill off cambered left-hander which then feeds into another slow left-hander that runs back onto the start-finish straight.
Coming through the downhill kink position the car over to the right and use the Italian-themed entry kerb on the right to help open up the corner entry. Keep an eye out for your braking marker which is just before the 100m board. This is a very hard braking zone so keep your foot planted on the brake as you shift down to 2nd gear. Most of your braking will be done in a straight line, only near the end start to turn in a bit earlier as the camber wants to carry the car out wide. Aim to get your inside wheels over the apex kerb and make sure to slow it down to the apex so that you can get on the power earlier.
The Final Stretch
The exit kerb is very lenient and you’ll want to run the car all the way out onto this kerb using the gravel trap as your track limits. Keep the power squeezed on as this will help you carry momentum into the final corner. As the exit kerb is about to end, turn in for the final corner and ease onto the brakes for the apex.
You must aim to get your inside wheel over the apex kerbing and get on the power early to slingshot you onto the straight. Use all of the exit kerbs on the right while keeping just inside of that white line. Coming out the corner stay to the right as you fire down the start-finish straight to complete the lap.
