Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: Kimi’s Field Trip & Papaya Supremacy

Welcome to Imola — Where Margin for Error Is Measured in Millimeters

Before we get into the meat of the weekend, here’s a quickfire tech primer on Imola:

• Track Name: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari

• Length: 4.909 km • Corners: 19, with a mix of high-load curves and stop-start chicanes • Tyres This Weekend: C4–C6 (the softest in Pirelli’s range)

• DRS Zones: 1

• Overtaking Difficulty: High

• Pole-to-Win Rate: Historically inconsistent — track position isn’t king here

• Key Sections: Acque Minerali (mid-speed technical), Variante Alta (brake stability test), Rivazza (traction-critical)

It’s a driver’s circuit, where setups lean on mechanical grip and downforce balance. If you’re not planted on exit, you’re toast.

Thursday — Kimi’s Karting-Class Reunion

Kimi Antonelli kicked off the weekend with a wholesome flex: having missed all school trips growing up due to karting, he brought his entire class and teachers to Imola. With his home just 30 minutes away, it was less of a media day and more of a full-blown field trip. Chalk one up for local-boy energy.

Also making a return? Franco Colapinto, back with a five-race deal and zero room for error. The pressure is crushing and given his record, one slip could mean the end of the road.

FP1 — Papayas Rule, Hermann Grumbles, Bortoleto Bingos It

The session began calm, but Imola rarely stays that way.

• Oscar Piastri clocked the fastest time: 1:15.109 on softs.

• Lando Norris followed just 0.032s behind — their pace, especially when sectors are combined, puts the McLaren MCL60B nearly 0.5s ahead of the field.

• Sector 1 was Piastri’s playground (Tamburello entry grip and stability through Villeneuve), while Norris owned Sector 2 (traction through Acque Minerali).

Carlos Sainz, now looking at home in the Williams FW47, found some rhythm at last. Balance in slow corners is sharper, and his long-run delta looked less volatile than earlier rounds.

Pierre Gasly went about his business, quietly efficient and up in P6.

Gabriel Bortoleto ended his session in the gravel at Turn 18 (Rivazza 2) after a rear-end snap during his final run. No major damage, but plenty of pride lost.

And of course, Franz Hermann (you might know him as Max Verstappen) spent most of FP1 lamenting rear instability and a general lack of confidence in the RB21. He ended up P7, behind Gasly, and was visibly frustrated. But let’s be honest — we’ve seen this script before. He complains on Friday and pole-positions the grid by Saturday. Classic Hermann behavior.

Isack Hadjar also dipped a tyre into the gravel but kept it mostly clean. Most teams ran softs — making this session genuinely representative, especially given the track evolution.

FP2 — More McLaren Muscle, Hadjar in the Sandbox

• Once again, McLaren topped the sheets.

• Oscar vs. Lando: Oscar took Sector 1, Lando hit back in Sector 2. If you combined their ideal laps, the result would be half a second faster than anyone else. Ludicrous.

• Pierre Gasly slotted into P3, consistent across both sessions.

• No red flags, just solid race sim work and tyre data collection.

Isack Hadjar took a trip through the gravel late in the session, cutting his run short — not dramatic, but not helpful either.

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Upgrade Report — Shiny Bits & Performance Shifts

• Haas introduced floor and diffuser tweaks aimed at low-speed corner performance. Results? Mixed — promising in FP1, quiet in FP2.

• Williams and Aston Martin brought new aero elements. Williams seemed to extract more from theirs — particularly visible in Sainz’s balance through Variante Alta.

• Ferrari and Red Bull’s updates looked… questionable. Reduced rear-end predictability and inconsistent traction may point to setup misfires or backwards steps.

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Tyre Talk — C6 Mayhem Incoming?

With C6 softs in play, strategy could get wild. These are the softest compounds available, and they degrade quickly — particularly at Imola’s traction zones. That means undercuts are risky, overcuts may be impossible, and two-stop strategies could be back on the table.

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Final Thoughts — Papaya Rules or Team Orders?

We’re six races in and still waiting for the gloves to come off between Piastri and Norris. Oscar has four wins, Lando one — and McLaren hasn’t truly let them race. This could finally be the weekend.

If they do unleash the papayas, it’ll be one for the archives.

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Image Credits: https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/fans/wallpapers?wpt=Desktop

See you in Qualifying

-Lights Out