2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola - April 24th, 3 PM

The full official title for the fourth race of the 2022 Formula 1 season is:

FORMULA 1 ROLEX ITALIAN AND EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX 2022





Total laps: 63
Lap length: 4,909 m
Race distance: 192 miles
Lap record: 1:15.484 — held by 7xGoat (2020)

Tires:



Event Schedule:

Friday, April 22, 2022

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Free Practice 1
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Qualifying

Saturday, April 23, 2022

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Free Practice 2
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Sprint Race — 21 laps or 30 mins

Sunday, April 24, 2022

3:00 PM Race (63 laps or 2 hours max)

Here’s a quick rundown from the F1 site (via 🤣 Google translation
).
Imola
When was the track built?
Imola—officially known as the Enzo Ferrari Circuit since 1988—first broke ground in March 1950. It was ready for testing by October 1952, with actual racing kicking off on the circuit in 1953.

When was its first Grand Prix?
The track hosted its first non-championship F1 race back in 1963. However, it took some political maneuvering involving Monza in 1980 before the circuit earned the honor of hosting the Italian Grand Prix for the first time that year. From 1981 onward, the two tracks worked in perfect harmony—with Imola taking on its famous 'San Marino' title, hosting a total of 27 Grand Prix events through 2006. It eventually made its return as the host for the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

What is the layout like?
It’s an exciting drive. While testing his AlphaTauri AT01 during 2020 preseason prep, Pierre Gasly called the experience one of the best he'd ever had in a Formula 1 car. Meanwhile, his teammate at the time, Daniil Kvyat, noted that "an F1 car flows through the corners like Acque Minerali—the entry is just so fast, so smooth. It really gives you an adrenaline rush." The anti-clockwise layout is definitely fast and carries a real old-school feel, as drivers are pushed to the limit in iconic turns like Acque Minerali and Piratella.

Why should you go?
Much like neighboring Mugello, Imola is tucked away in a fantastic part of the world—you’ve got rolling hills to the south, coastal beaches to the east, and incredible food scenes in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee to the west. Plus, it's right near Maranello, the home of Ferrari. You also can't ignore the fact that visiting Imola is a chance for F1 fans to pay their respects to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, who lost their lives during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Where is the best place to watch?
The grandstand on the outside of Acque Minerali is a prime spot to see an F1 machine being pushed to its absolute limits, especially as drivers fight to carry speed through the tight left-hander before heading back uphill toward the Variante Alt chicane.

I’ve been to Imola nine times now, making this my tenth visit—but here’s the breakdown:

1987 F1 race; my first time. I headed out there with a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, Miroslav Copić, and photographer Jadran Babić.
1999 F1 race; second time.
2000 F1 race; third time.
2004 F1 race; fourth time.
2005 F1 race; fifth time.
2006 F1 race; sixth time—the last one before they returned in 2020.
2014 seventh time—the 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna's passing. I had press credentials and a photo pass, so it was an incredible experience.
2018 eighth time—there was a Historic meeting happening, so I went to check out some vintage cars I’ve been obsessed with since I was a kid.
2020 F1 race; ninth time—now, this one was unforgettable, for all the wrong reasons! I bought a three-day pass for $325 through their Ticketmaster agency, only for the local authorities in the Emilia Romagna region to ban spectators just two days before the race. They promised a full refund. Being naive—think a wide-eyed innocent—I filed all my paperwork perfectly, only to get a notice saying my request was "under review"... and honestly, it's been two years. Still "under review." Basically, those guys in the province totally screwed me over. I'll never see that money again. Absolute joke.
2022 F1 race; tenth time. I bought a three-day ticket for $90 through that same shady agency because there wasn't any other way. God, I hope they don't mess with me this time.

When I have a free moment this weekend, I'll post some photos from these races and meetings.

I have a soft spot for this track.

Can't wait for the race.
(Though Gufač, the race isn't even for ten days; you're getting ahead of yourself with the excitement)

swiftmaker12 said:I wired 325 bucks online to their Ticketmaster agency, only for the folks in the Emilia Romagna region to ban spectators just two days before the race. They promised a full refund. I was naive—acting like some wide-eyed intern turning in all my paperwork perfectly, only to get told my request is "under review"... and here we are, two years later. Still under review. Basically, they screwed me over and gave me the runaround. I'll never see that money again. Absolute joke.

Auuu, think of everything else you could have bought or done with that 325 bucks.
They really did you dirty.

Quote:>

swiftmaker12 says: I'll post some photos from those races and the Historic meeting over the weekend when I have a moment.

Yes, please!

Jason Campbell70 said:(Look, Gufač, the race isn't even for another ten days—you're getting ahead of yourself with all this opening talk)

Well, everyone’s got their own little delusions, I guess.
There’s some religious fanatics over on another thread, so I figured I’d try to pull the attention elsewhere.
The way they’re going at it, half of them will probably end up banned, which means there won't be any comments left for Imola, unlike those first three races.
And honestly, the season has started off brilliantly—
especially seeing the "Greatest" himself farting out red smoke.
It’s finally becoming obvious that Lewis is just an average driver who’s been hiding behind a perfect machine for eight straight years.
Now, he can barely fight for a top five spot—unless, of course, three or four drivers ahead of him retire, much like back when Alonso was in the Ferrari.

Thank goodness mothers don't produce more "Goats" like that anymore... they should just abort them.

By the way, is "Goat" basically just American slang for a total loser?

This is exactly what I was thinking when I wrote this:

Jason Campbell70 said:Auuu, just think about everything you could buy, pay for, or experience with those 325 bucks.

@swiftmaker12/">@@swiftmaker12
You claim you've been here nine times already—but after kissing the wall on that last run, I guess we'll just call this technically your ninth time hitting the track.
Those Americans really played you.

I already got my refund through Ticketmaster for that concert that just got canceled, even though it wasn't supposed to happen until June.
I honestly don't think the delay in getting your money back is on Ticketmaster's end; it’s probably more likely an issue with the actual organizers.
If I were you, I'd just reach out to the bank you used for the payment and try to request a chargeback or a refund directly through them.

Mark Ruiz8 said:@swiftmaker12/">@@swiftmaker12
You mentioned you've been nine times now—but didn't you end up getting turned away at the gate last time? Those Italians really did you dirty.
So technically, this would be your ninth time actually making it onto the track.

That’s right... realistically my ninth trip.
When they officially announced just two days prior that spectators were banned—even though there were only about 13,000 tickets even in circulation—of course, I just stayed home.

Luckily, Airbnb started accepting cancellations up to 24 hours in advance without taking a cut before the pandemic hit, so I managed to get a full refund.
I ended up using my return Greyhound ticket for my trip home during Christmas and New Year's instead.

It was only 13 degrees yesterday, but honestly, it was one of my favorite days of the year.
Photographer Veljko Jukič—who’s been covering Formula 1 for over 40 years, back when he wrote for Car and Driver and now for MotorTrend—pulled some strings and scored me another F1 Photo pass...

I’m not going to post them here on the forum, but since I’m already chatting with ZekoHond, I sent him a screenshot of my email via Wocap.

God bless whoever was feeling jealous of both me and you guys.
The only place I vent about this forum is right here—otherwise, I’ll send a few shots directly from the center of the action at the track.
Of course, that is assuming the Italians let me inside.

That turn at Villeneuve is much slower now; it used to be incredibly fast and dangerous. The track itself is fantastic, running right along the river past those houses and fields... I was actually there back in 2002 at Indianapolis.

It’s a shame things have slowed down.

swiftmaker12 said:Yesterday was the 13th, and honestly, it was one of the best days I've had all year.
Photographer Veljko Jukič, who has been covering Formula 1 for over 40 years—writing for Car and Driver back in the old days and now for MotorTrend—helped me secure an F1 Photo pass once again...

I won't post them here on the forum, but since I'm already in touch with ZekoHond, I'll send him a screenshot of my email via Wocap...

Damn, whoever was feeling jealous of both me and you guys...
The only place I'm going to vent about this forum is right here, so I'll send some photos directly from the center of the action at the track instead...
assuming, of course, the Italians let me inside...

Just make sure the images are a decent size. If I recall correctly, I had trouble viewing them because they were quite small... maybe it was just me, I don't know...

swiftmaker12 said:Another F1 race in 2022; my tenth one. I’m about to drop 90 bucks on a three-day pass through some sketchy third-party agency because, honestly, there isn't any other way to get them. God, I really hope they don't screw me over this time...

I'll try to dig up some photos from the races and meetups over the weekend when I actually have a spare moment.

general admission?
I was actually looking at the listings this morning, and there are still tickets left. I'm still sitting here on the fence, debating whether it's even worth the trip or not...

Looks like we might actually get a rainy weekend (thank god). 🙂

The real question is how long we have to wait before they finally fix turns 17 and 18. They’re seriously messing with the flow of the racing. 🙄

Just realized we’re stuck with another crappy sprint. Honestly, just give me that lame 🤦
.

Robert Cox46 said:We might finally get a rainy weekend (thank goodness). 🙂

Perhaps it is high time we actually discover whether these drivers possess true talent when they are forced to handle the fastest car on the grid rather than just coasting on pure machine advantage. 🙂

graniteharbor502 said:Finally, we get to see if the drivers can actually deliver when they're sitting in the fastest car on the grid... 🙂

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez? I bet you a fortune that overcooked engine is going to blow up again in the red zone...

Anyone got any idea if Ford is actually dropping an upgrade soon, or are they just sitting on their hands...