As it is dropped from the schedule, Max Verstappen admits that Imola is one of the tracks that caused him to fall in love with racing.
Sunday saw the four-time world champion score a record fourth successive win at the Italian track, which first hosted (non-championship) F1 in 1963 and a round of the world championship from 1980.
Though not on a par with the likes of Spa, Imola, despite the tragic side of its history, has always been popular with drivers and fans alike, much like Monza, Silverstone, Zandvoort and Suzuka, and even if it has been somewhat emasculated and has out-grown the current (big and heavy) formula, it remains a challenge, a circuit that favours the brave.
Alas, as the sport looks to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and maybe even Disneyland – they’re opening one in Abu Dhabi in 2032 or 2033 – Imola is to be dropped, while some of the other classics will either face the same fate or put on a rotating basis… until brought out of mothballs like Istanbul and others during the next pandemic.
Asked about the loss of another of his favourite circuits, admitted that he feels it is a shame.
“I love driving here,” he said, following Sunday’s victory, “but at the end of the day, you’re still bound to what you get, right, with your car. I think the last few years our car has always been working really well here.
“Of course, before I got here this weekend, I didn’t really have a lot of hope that we could actually win a race here. But then I think from yesterday onwards, the car was more competitive over one lap and luckily also today.
“So, yeah. I definitely enjoy driving here, but at the same time, the car has to work as well, you know, to be able to do this.
“Losing these kind of tracks is a shame. I get it from F1’s side of things, of course, the new tracks that we are going to. So you have to see it from a sportive side and a financial side, right? If you want to grow the business and make it more popular, I get it.
“For me, of course, personally, when I just speak about the enjoyment of driving, it’s these kind of tracks that made me fall in love with racing in general,” he admitted, “in go-karting even, because you have the same thing in karting where some tracks are more special than others.
“Of course, when you started watching Formula 1, there were always these few tracks where you just… I don’t know, you look at the speeds, you look at how difficult they are to master,” he added. The history of the sport at certain tracks… you know, it’s all very special and gives you a bit more emotion to things.
“So, yeah, it’s definitely a shame for me personally, but what can I do about it?
