Motor Racing
Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Preview
For the first time this season, the grid returns to Europe for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
This Grand Prix was inaugurated in 2020 and ran for three consecutive years before flooding in the area halted proceedings last year and was called off. However, the drivers return again after a two-year hiatus from the Italian circuit.
Last time out in Miami we saw a new driver top the podium, as Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen to pick up his first race win of his Formula 1 career, and undoubtedly the Brit will be pining for that feeling yet again here.
We preview the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix below.
Bet on the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix with William Hill
Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari overview
Since the 2022 renewal of this Grand Prix there have been some alterations made to the track, with the gravel being moved closer to the track at select corners which will certainly diminish the room for error.
Given last year was called off due to the flooding, there is a fear that rain might affect play this time around but to not as bad an extent. Should the drivers have to navigate a bit of moisture on the track then the nature of the circuit, which allows for higher-downforce setups, should provide an easier ride in the rain.
In 2022, we saw a total of 25 pit stops, with 13 of the drivers only pitting once and we suspect it’ll be a similar story this year, although, due to the soft tyres Pirelli are bringing to Imola, we might see some teams erring on the side of caution with a two-stop race.
There were only 22 on-track overtakes in the last Imola Grand Prix which is not many at all, meaning that qualifying will be all-important for the drivers to get themselves as far up the grid as possible. There is only one DRS zone available around the circuit along the long straight which will encourage drivers to get slightly more creative if they are to make up the places in the big race.
Main teams to look out for
Aston Martin
It was another disappointing week in Miami for Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso being eliminated in Q2, although did manage to claw back some places and finish in P9 which secured two points for the team. Lance Stroll on the other hand came in P17, out of the points yet again.
However, Imola might not be all doom and gloom as the temperature should be lower than it was in Miami, and therefore their previous issues with tyre wear might be somewhat aided. That said, Alonso is the shortest price of the drivers to finish on the podium at 10/1 with Stroll 100/1 to finish in the top three.
Mercedes
Mercedes managed to recover pretty well following a tricky start to the weekend with the Sprints, and, they look to be upgrading their car for Imola which could help them catch the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton managed his first top six finish of the season in Miami, a feat which can’t be overlooked given the struggles he’s had in the car this season. However, his results have been improving and is at 12/1 to find the podium once again. George Russell had an okay race in Miami finishing in P8 but will want to improve on that performance and is 4/5 to finish in the top six this time.
McLaren
Miami was a real red-letter day for McLaren as Lando Norris picked up his first career win in Formula 1, beating Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Despite Verstappen making a mistake, Norris looked to have the pace to carry him through the race anyway and capitalised on the opportunity that presented itself to top the podium.
Norris now finds himself as the 13/2 second favourite to Verstappen ahead of Imola and is as short as 8/15 to finish on the podium again. If they can keep the pace, then I’m sure we could see Norris battle it out with Verstappen again. For teammate Oscar Piastri the race was slightly less impressive, although he did endure contact with Carlos Sainz, which left him out of the point.
Ferrari
Ferrari are still ahead of McLaren in the standings but have been falling behind bit by bit in the recent races, so are due an upgrade on Italian soil this weekend which should see them back to their very best.
There will be a whole host of Italian fans cheering on the Ferrari team and combined with their upgrades, we could see Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz battling it out for the top six places, for which they are both 1/7. The value bet here however looks to be Both Ferrari Drivers to be on the Podium at 4/1.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen was finally defeated in Miami! We didn’t see as dominant a showing from either of the Red Bull cars last time out but we expect to see them bounce back here, although for F1 fans it was quite refreshing to see some of the grid being more competitive with the Red Bull cars in comparison to last season.
William Hill are offering a ‘Fav vs Field’ market for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in which you can bet on either Verstappen (2/9) to win or anyone else on the grid (3/1), and could be the value bet against the leading driver should he put a foot wrong in Italy.
