Imola - The
Tifosi Await
With it's vast and fanatical following
for Formula One and Ferrari especially, Italy
had two Grands Prix as early as 1957 but a dubious
(and oft misinterpreted ) FIA ruling that each
country should only have a single Grand Prix, led to
the small principality of San Marino lending
its name to a second 'unofficial' grand prix for the tifosi,
after the death of Ronnie Peterson at the
previous years Grand Prix at Monza. It was
used for the Italian Grand Prix again in 1980, where
few who were there will forget the total
disintegration of Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari
as it came to rest in the middle of the track at the Tosa
Corner. The straight leading to the corner has now
been renamed Villeneuve. No matter that it is
50 miles away from the principality, it is close
enough to Ferrari's home stamping ground and as such
has close links with Maranello and the first
race counting for championship points, was held at
the circuit in 1981.
Built in 1950 in
parkland 20 miles South East of Bologna, the Autodromo
Dino Ferrari was greatly updated
with new pit complexes and hospitality suites in
readiness for its new role in Motor Sport
history, the authorities not knowing quite how
notorious their circuit would become in later
years. Following the deaths of Ayrton Senna
and Roland Ratzenberger during the 1994
event, further drastic alterations have taken
place. Already the power circuit had been slowed
with the building of a number of chicanes, but
following these tragic events, the Tamburello,
Villeneuve and Variante Bassa
bends were all altered to meet the (some say)
knee-jerk requirements of the FIA.
Tamburello in
particular has seen the lucky escapes of both Nelson
Piquet and Gerhard Berger and of course
the death of Senna. Once a true racing driver's
corner this majestic fast sweeping curve has been
clipped both front and back to ensure that no matter
where else on the track the misfortunes of a driver
may befall, it certainly won't be here.
Current Championship
contender Jacques Villeneuve, said of Imola last year
that, 'it used to be a nice track, but after all
the chicanes were added, its not fun anymore.'
This seems to sum up the opinions of several drivers,
but despite this, it is a power circuit and the cars
with the strongest engines will survive. It will also
test brakes to their maximum and, being (unusual for
a European Circuit), anticlockwise, it will be tough
on the drivers' stamina.
Gary Anderson
Technical Director of Jordan Peugeot reckons
that the European circuits are real 'race tracks'
rather than temporary ones that are used only a few
times a year, "In Europe the track itself
does not dictate the lap time as has been the case in
the first three Grands Prix where, because of the
dirt, a small mistake can result in a big loss in
time." He explains, "At Imola the
drivers can really push because the surface is
cleaner and the traction consequently much higher.
For Imola you need a responsive car to cope with the
fast chicanes, the braking and the changes of
direction."
World Champion Damon
Hill had a great tactical win here last year,
pulling an extra 6 laps worth of fuel at the start,
to enable an 'out of sync' pit stop that would put
him ahead of Michael Schumacher. With the
unwitting help of 'hot off the line' David
Coulthard who held Schumacher in check, Hill was
able to stay in touch with the Ferrari until he lost
the fuel weight and the German had to pit. No such
luck for our glum chum this year. It is interesting
to note that last year, Hill had won all of the
Grands Prix contested this year so far, including
Imola and it must be disheartening for the man to see
his name gradually being eradicated from the
statistics. With the flagging Yamaha, even a
finish looks unlikely but no one could drag a better
performance from the 'old Danka' like Hill who
in turn, will behave like a true champion and give
the TWR team his full support as he sees his
dreams, however modest for this season, crumble even
further.
The race this year
will mark the 200th grand prix appearance of Austrian
veteran Gerhard Berger, who would love to
celebrate with a grand prix victory at the circuit on
which he has not won previously. There is no reason
why he should not, as despite qualifying badly put in
a feisty performance in Buenos Aires last week.
Stewart Ford
driver Rubens Barichello was a happy man after
Argentina despite not finishing what would have been
a fine race for him. "After the race I told
my crew to leave my car alone-it was the best I had
ever driven! Even though we didn't finish, I know how
much potential the car has and our performance in
practice and qualifying proved it." He went
on in a more sober mood, reflecting on the events
in1994, "In one dark weekend we lost Roland,
and in Ayrton I lost not only a personal friend, but
a fellow Brazilian who was a giant in our sport. On
top of that I had a very big accident myself."
Choice of tyres will
also be critical here, as the 'grippiness' of the
soft Bridgestones, especially exiting the
chicanes, will be extremely good. A decision for the Goodyear
runners in choosing hard tyres for added durability,
could have serious consequences on a track with so
many tight corners.
With little or no
passing areas, this could end up being a race of
strategies where most of the passing is done in the
pit lane during refuelling and retreading. A heavier
car with tyres that last could have an advantage over
a nimble but delicately shod machine that may have to
make extra pitstops. Goodyear softs blistered badly
in the heat in Argentina, but the heat should not be
so much of a problem in the European Spring weather
and heaven help the top teams should it rain. With
the Bridgestone's reputation already legendary in the
Pit lane and the Prost Honda of Olivier
Panis making inroads to the 'big 5' a shake up
for the podium could be in order.
