After unfortunately being cancelled last year without a rescheduled date caused by heavy rain and flooding in the area, Imola is thankfully back this year. The 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix takes place May 17-19. On the back of an exciting Miami GP where we saw the somewhat unexpected first win for Lando Norris, will we see other surprising result or is it back to business with Red Bull? If recent history at the Italian circuit has taught us anything, Max Verstappen should be at a comfortable track for him as he is the most successful driver in the modern F1 era at Imola. Now let’s get on to the F1 Imola GP preview.
When is the 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
This year’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix takes place from Friday May 17 – Sunday May 19. It is the first out of two race weekends in the country of Italy on the F1 calendar. In the U.S., Friday’s schedule includes FP1 bright and early. Followed by FP2 an hour before noon. Next, FP3 is the opener for Saturday leading up to qualifying later in the morning. Finally, the big race will take place Sunday morning at 9.
Below are the days and times for each session.
Friday May 17
- Free Practice 1: 7:30am ET
- Free Practice 2: 11:00am ET
Saturday May 18
- Free Practice 3: 6:30am ET
- Qualifying: 10:00am ET
Sunday May 19
- Race: 9:00am ET
Where is the 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Taking Place?
The 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grad Prix is taking place in Imola, Italy at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The Imola circuit is 3.050mi long and has a mix of fast corners and slow hairpins with a total of 19 turns and one DRS zone. The circuit itself poses a challenge for the drivers with a number of elevation changes and cambered corners.
Where can I watch the 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
As usual, all the F1 action this season can be viewed in the U.S. on ESPN and its various platforms such as ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Friday sessions will air on ESPNU while the Saturday sessions and main race on Sunday will be broadcasted on ESPN2 In the U.K., the sessions can be viewed through Sky Sports.
Where can I stream the 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
Streaming is available live and on demand in the U.S. through ESPN+. In the U.K., you can stream with Sky Sports F1 NOW. Depending on your region, live streaming of all sessions can seen through DAZN or F1 TV.
Predictions
Now let’s get to those predictions. For qualifying, I have the top three as follows, Lando Norris third, Charles Leclerc second and Max Verstappen first. This track is similar to Miami in a sense that it has a good blend of corners and long fast straights, that equation seemed to work well for the McLaren upgrades that came in South Florida. I can see that McLaren form continuing into qualifying as well as the race. Speaking of the race, I have Sergio Perez fighting his way up to third place, Norris gaining one place to second, and Verstappen maintaining first for the top spot on the podium. For the reasons I mentioned earlier, Norris and McLaren are going to challenge Verstappen and Red Bull or at least give them headaches trying to fend them off. As for Red Bull, I see them bouncing back fairly nicely for a double podium appearance.
That will do it for the 2024 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix preview. I’m looking forward to see how the top teams respond to there being a new race winner in Norris. As well as a seemingly wounded Red Bull team. Plenty of intrigue this weekend and I can’t wait to tune in for all the action in Imola.
