The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo E Dino Ferrari, also called Imola, is a circuit located in the forest southeast of Bologna, near the river Santerno. Originally, the circuit was called Autodromo Dino Ferrari; the track was re-named to include Enzo Ferrari’s name in 1988 after the founder of Ferrari had passed. The circuit hosted non-championship Formula 1 races in 1963 and 1971, and hosted its first official championship race under the name Italian Grand Prix in 1980.

Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Photo via @F1 on Twitter)

From 1981 onwards, the circuit would be used to host the Grand Prix of San Marino until 2006, when the circuit was removed from the calendar. During the 1980s and 1990s, many safety concerns were raised. After dangerous incidents in which both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna tragically lost their lives in 1994, significant changes were made to the track, such as the addition of an extra chicane to Tamburello, and the disappearance of the Variante Bassa chicane. In 2007, the owners of the track decided to undertake major reconstruction work to the track and pitlane facilities. In 2020, the circuit returned to the calendar, this time under the name Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The Grand Prix was cancelled in 2023 due to heavy flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region.

Ayrton Senna statue at Imola (Photo via @mercedesamgf1 on Instagram)

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Track distance: 4.909 km / 3.05 miles

• DRS zones: 1

• Corners: 19

• Elevation: 34.4 metres

• Laps: 63

• Race lap record: 1:15.484 Lewis Hamilton (2020)

• Direction: anti-clockwise

According to F1.com, Imola configuration for this year is as follows:

PREVIOUS TYRE COMPOUNDS

• Selected compounds in 2022: C4 (soft) C3 (medium) C2 (hard)

• Selected compounds in 2021: C4 (soft) C3 (medium) C2 (hard)

The most successful driver at the circuit is Michael Schumacher with a total of 7 wins. Ferrari and Williams share the record for most constructor wins at Imola, with 8 victories each. The pole position record at the track belongs to Ayrton Senna, who has scored 8 pole positions at the track.

Alpha Tauri at Imola (Photo via @alphataurif1 on Instagram)

PREVIOUS WINNERS

• 2022 Max Verstappen

• 2021 Max Verstappen

• 2020 Lewis Hamilton

• 2006 Michael Schumacher

• 2005 Fernando Alonso