2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Imola, May 17 - 19

[FW17]

What is the reason for this tracks pitlane being so long? 550 m of which 200 m is just empty space.

[SirBastianVettel]

I think RB have clear advantage in terms of being able to push a tyre harder without it overheating. But they seem to be vulnerable when overheating isn't a problem

This is probably also something that can be tweaked with setup I imagine. On a track like this I’d argue that RBR got the setup right considering they managed to get pole position on a track where overtaking is very difficult. I think overall the McLaren was the faster car this weekend but perhaps prioritized race pace more than qualifying pace compared to RBR. Having said all that I think that the differences were very small and that Max made the difference that gave him the win yesterday.

[SirBastianVettel]

What is the reason for this tracks pitlane being so long? 550 m of which 200 m is just empty space.

This is something that should be addressed, it could make it much more exciting if it wasn’t a guaranteed one-stop because of the enormous pitstop time loss.

[FW17]

What is the reason for this tracks pitlane being so long? 550 m of which 200 m is just empty space.

This is something that should be addressed, it could make it much more exciting if it wasn’t a guaranteed one-stop because of the enormous pitstop time loss.

Why do they have variante alta?

Owners should go back to the original layout and widen the track.

[Aesop]

I think RB have clear advantage in terms of being able to push a tyre harder without it overheating. But they seem to be vulnerable when overheating isn't a problem

This is probably also something that can be tweaked with setup I imagine. On a track like this I’d argue that RBR got the setup right considering they managed to get pole position on a track where overtaking is very difficult. I think overall the McLaren was the faster car this weekend but perhaps prioritized race pace more than qualifying pace compared to RBR. Having said all that I think that the differences were very small and that Max made the difference that gave him the win yesterday.

Norris himself said he thought McLaren had the best car this weekend and that he'd have won if he'd been on pole.
But i reckon Leclerc can make the same case, such are the margins now. Red Bull was on the backfoot all weekend and i am sure there will be circuits where the RB20 will regain some of its dominance but what a turnaround it is to see Norris pressuring Max on merit and pure speed. Not sure what Monaco will bring but the season has become so much more interesting. Max will bring the title home no doubt but i foresee some proper fights for victory between these three.

[Waz]

Interesting finish to an otherwise uneventful race with even the midfielders not offering much for entertainment.

We really, really, really need different tires that can be leaned on for a whole stint. That could completely change the face of a lot of races.

[Sevach]

What is the reason for this tracks pitlane being so long? 550 m of which 200 m is just empty space.

This is something that should be addressed, it could make it much more exciting if it wasn’t a guaranteed one-stop because of the enormous pitstop time loss.

Why do they have variante alta?

Owners should go back to the original layout and widen the track.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... mola53.png

No way Tamburello and Villeneuve go to the original design after we just had an event talking about the events of 94.

Variante Alta could go and probably would produce better racing.

[Zynerji]

Just not a fan of this track... It feels like a poor-mans Spa to me.

Suspenseful races are good races. No matter the outcome.

[SiLo]

It's not always tires, it's the pit delta that is killer. As soon as we get pit deltas down to something like, 15 seconds, then we will see far more interesting strategies.

[mwillems]

It's not always tires, it's the pit delta that is killer. As soon as we get pit deltas down to something like, 15 seconds, then we will see far more interesting strategies.

I agree, pit lane length and speed rule out tires being pushed as much. But then so do their operating temperatures.

[hollus]

A lot of posts have vanished. A lot more probably should but were mixed enough to get the benefit of the doubt.

If you come to post in F1T to pick fights or to have fights... just don't. Go somewhere else if that is interesting.

A simple rule: if you post is just about another poster... DON'T POST IT.
Whether you are starting a fight or continuing a fight is irrelevant: it is unproductive, dull, annoying and poisons any chance of an intelligent forum discussion. Both are likely to collect warnings and eventual bans.

Post, not poster. Thanks.

[bananapeel23]

What is the reason for this tracks pitlane being so long? 550 m of which 200 m is just empty space.

This is something that should be addressed, it could make it much more exciting if it wasn’t a guaranteed one-stop because of the enormous pitstop time loss.

Why do they have variante alta?

Owners should go back to the original layout and widen the track.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... mola53.png

This would just be a bad version of Monza. Getting rid of the sector 1 chicanes OR the variante alta chicane could be good, but getting rid of both would just turn the track into Monza with elevation. I like that Imola actually leads to some interesting setup variation between the teams, with some setting up for top speed and others for cornering. Getting rid of the chicanes would just take the nuance out of the track.

Also I don't know if they could create a DRS zone after Acque Minerali even if they got rid of the Variante alta chicane, since the uphill part would lead to incredibly poor vision, which could potentially be insanely dangerous, since it would be an even more dangerous version of the Istanbul park back straight, which has already caused some code brown moments.

Widening and slowing down the Tamburello chicane to create a harder braking zone and more opportunities for different lines (something like Bahrain turn 1), while removing the Villeneuve chicane and adding a second DRS zone before the hairpin might work better though. It would be like a shorter version of the Abu Dhabi back straight. I don't know if they would reach speeds fast enough for DRS to make a substantial difference into the hairpin though. That would also require them to straighten out the kink before Tosa somehow, and I don't know if that's possible since there is a river right beside the track and a hill on the other side. I think it's a bit like the near-impossibility of creating enough runoff after Eau Rouge becuase geography determines just how much can be done to the layout.

[DiogoBrand]

This is something that should be addressed, it could make it much more exciting if it wasn’t a guaranteed one-stop because of the enormous pitstop time loss.

Why do they have variante alta?

Owners should go back to the original layout and widen the track.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... mola53.png

No way Tamburello and Villeneuve go to the original design after we just had an event talking about the events of 94.

Variante Alta could go and probably would produce better racing.

Saying that you can’t remove those chicanes would be implying that safety hasn’t evolved in 30 years. The likelihood of an accident like Senna’s or Ratzenberger’s happening and killing someone today is zero. Let’s not forget that the crash that killed Barrichello for a few minutes wouldn’t happen if there wasn’t a chicane, so chicanes are not necessarily guardian angels that save millions of lives.
I don’t necessarily think that removing all chicanes would somehow make the circuit better, but arguing that it would be a risk to the drivers is just unfounded.

[FW17]

This is something that should be addressed, it could make it much more exciting if it wasn’t a guaranteed one-stop because of the enormous pitstop time loss.

Why do they have variante alta?

Owners should go back to the original layout and widen the track.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... mola53.png

This would just be a bad version of Monza. Getting rid of the sector 1 chicanes OR the variante alta chicane could be good, but getting rid of both would just turn the track into Monza with elevation. I like that Imola actually leads to some interesting setup variation between the teams, with some setting up for top speed and others for cornering. Getting rid of the chicanes would just take the nuance out of the track.

Also I don't know if they could create a DRS zone after Acque Minerali even if they got rid of the Variante alta chicane, since the uphill part would lead to incredibly poor vision, which could potentially be insanely dangerous, since it would be an even more dangerous version of the Istanbul park back straight, which has already caused some code brown moments.

Widening and slowing down the Tamburello chicane to create a harder braking zone and more opportunities for different lines (something like Bahrain turn 1), while removing the Villeneuve chicane and adding a second DRS zone before the hairpin might work better though. It would be like a shorter version of the Abu Dhabi back straight. I don't know if they would reach speeds fast enough for DRS to make a substantial difference into the hairpin though. That would also require them to straighten out the kink before Tosa somehow, and I don't know if that's possible since there is a river right beside the track and a hill on the other side. I think it's a bit like the near-impossibility of creating enough runoff after Eau Rouge becuase geography determines just how much can be done to the layout.

Monza will be a lot better without the chicanes.

[organic]

Why do they have variante alta?

Owners should go back to the original layout and widen the track.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... mola53.png

This would just be a bad version of Monza. Getting rid of the sector 1 chicanes OR the variante alta chicane could be good, but getting rid of both would just turn the track into Monza with elevation. I like that Imola actually leads to some interesting setup variation between the teams, with some setting up for top speed and others for cornering. Getting rid of the chicanes would just take the nuance out of the track.

Also I don't know if they could create a DRS zone after Acque Minerali even if they got rid of the Variante alta chicane, since the uphill part would lead to incredibly poor vision, which could potentially be insanely dangerous, since it would be an even more dangerous version of the Istanbul park back straight, which has already caused some code brown moments.

Widening and slowing down the Tamburello chicane to create a harder braking zone and more opportunities for different lines (something like Bahrain turn 1), while removing the Villeneuve chicane and adding a second DRS zone before the hairpin might work better though. It would be like a shorter version of the Abu Dhabi back straight. I don't know if they would reach speeds fast enough for DRS to make a substantial difference into the hairpin though. That would also require them to straighten out the kink before Tosa somehow, and I don't know if that's possible since there is a river right beside the track and a hill on the other side. I think it's a bit like the near-impossibility of creating enough runoff after Eau Rouge becuase geography determines just how much can be done to the layout.

Monza will be a lot better without the chicanes.

Why even bother with corners at all