Will Red Bull lock horns with Mercedes again as the F1 returns to Imola for the 2021 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

The Formula One paddock returns to Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which plays host to the second round of the season.

The track is carved out of the Northern-Italian landscape and is a very fast but narrow circuit so overtaking opportunities will be few and far between.

This means making the most out of any overtaking opportunities that arise, as well as maximising time made up through pit-stops will be crucial.

The previous round of the Championship in Bahrain was a great way to get the season up and running. From dramatic comebacks to a fiercely competitive battle at the front of the pack between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, a battle which we will hopefully be seeing continue this weekend.

The controversial track limits debate from the Bahrain Grand Prix has been put to bed as the FIA have announced “no-nonsense” track limits so there will be no new interpretations of the circuit this time out.

The last race held at Imola was last year as part of the revised season schedule, where Lewis Hamilton was victorious ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Riccardo.

Formula One had previously held events at the track between 1981 and 2006, when the event was known as the San Marino Grand Prix, with Williams and Ferrari tied on eight wins each.

The most successful driver at Imola is Michael Schumacher who accumulated seven wins between 1994 and 2006.

Top 10 Prediction

Max Verstappen

The Flying Dutchman will be victorious in Imola after another enthralling race-long battle with Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen has a dismal record on Italian soil, but this weekend will put that statistic to bed.

The 23-year-old has competed in eight Formula One races held in Italy, retiring from all three races in 2020 and the best finish of fifth at the 2018 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton will come home in second, just losing out to Verstappen in the latter stages of the race. The Brit will show good pace throughout the weekend, but his Mercedes will be no match for the Dutchman’s Red Bull car.

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez will build on his strong start to the season, claiming his maiden Red Bull podium. The Mexican will have a much less stressful race than Bahrain and hold off Valtteri Bottas for the duration of the race.

Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas will have a disappointing weekend and will be no match for his teammate. The Finn will struggle for pace throughout the weekend and a poor performance in the race (in his standards) will make this weekend one to forget.

Daniel Ricciardo

The Honey-badger will fend off his teammate throughout the race despite being out-qualified by him. After a strong first lap, the Aussie will be in a good position to overtake Bottas but as the race goes on, the evident performance gap between the McLaren and Mercedes will show.

Lando Norris

The Brit had a fantastic first round in Bahrain in which he came home in fourth. Norris had strong pace in Bahrain and his good form will continue this weekend.

The 21-year-old will finish just behind his teammate but will come out on top in a battle with the two Ferrari cars and Pierre Gasly.

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc will be competing in a race-long battle with Carlos Sainz, the two McLarens and Pierre Gasly. Leclerc will match his qualifying position in the race so overall the Monegasque will be happy with his display in Imola.

Pierre Gasly

Despite the Frenchman’s disappointing race in Bahrain, his promising pace throughout practice and qualifying will continue into round two as Gasly will hold off his teammate in a close midfield battle which will go right to the wire.

Yuki Tsunoda

The surprise package from Round One will get his second points finish in as many races. The rookie driver showed incredible pace in Bahrain which will continue this weekend but narrowly losing out to his teammate.

Antonio Giovinazzi

The homeboy will achieve his first points finish of the season this weekend. The Italian will show good pace and be ahead of his experienced Alfa Romeo teammate Kimi Raikkonen in all sessions this weekend. Both Alfa Romeo cars had a promising race last time out and this will continue at Imola.

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