WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The key points of Round 4 around Imola

15 May 2025

After a short break, Formula 2 is back in action this weekend around the famed Imola circuit for what is sure to be an intriguing weekend.

The Championship’s first race in Europe of the 2025 campaign and the first leg in a triple-header, Round 4 is set to define the tone for the upcoming races and the next phase of the season as everyone looks to catch championship leader Richard Verschoor.

What should you be keeping an eye on this weekend? Here are a few points to look out for.

MIND THE GAP

The first chicane will be the main action zone this weekend for overtaking

With just one major overtaking spot around the entirety of the lap, utilising DRS is a necessity and means that breaking underneath that one-second window is crucial for anyone hoping to make a move.

As Franco Colapinto demonstrated last year in the Sprint Race, one opportunity is all it takes, whether that be a great run through the final sector and Rivazza, or a loss of momentum for the car ahead coming into the start/finish straight.

Turn 1 is listed as the gentle left-hander after passing the pole position grid slot, so Turn 2 is where all the focus will be in terms of overtaking action.

Claiming the inside doesn’t necessarily mean the defending driver is safe, as extra top-end speed can be enough to give the overtaking driver the track position when the outside becomes the inside at the second part of the Tamburello Chicane.

It will be interesting to see how the weekend evolves and what the drivers learn from both the F3 races and the F2 Sprint in terms of how best to set up and defend from an overtake into the preferred passing zone.

STONE COLD

The pit strategy will be crucial this weekend with a softer range of tyres available this weekend

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is a properly old-school circuit and there is nowhere to go when you get it slightly wrong around the 4.9Km layout, with gravel awaiting anyone who pushes the limits just that bit too far.

All the way around the lap, there’s scarcely a run-off area that’s ‘safe’ to take a trip through, with the walls also precariously close for anyone that bit too greedy looking for extra speed.

Keeping your cool then will be paramount to threading together a strong qualifying lap, and staying ahead of rivals in the races.

As mentioned, with only one real overtaking spot around the lap, the last thing a driver will want is to beat themselves with an error around the rest of the circuit that opens the door to a passing opportunity.

But the old-school layout makes it a driver’s favourite, as TRIDENT’s Sami Meguetounif explains: “Imola is a very, very difficult track. There are no runoff areas in Imola, so it’s track, kerb and then gravel. It’s nice because when you play with the limits, you play in the gravel. It’s an old-school track, surrounded by trees, and the history there is special. You can be scared to push with the gravel just there waiting for you, but that makes it challenging.”

PRIME POSITION

Pole hasn't brought much success around Imola in either the Sprint or Feature Races

While you might think that tight and challenging layout of the Imola circuit means Qualifying is crucial to ensuring a strong starting position, somewhat counterintuitively, that’s not really the case.

In fact, no driver to have started from P1 in any F2 race around Imola since it returned to the calendar in 2022 has gone on to win the race, while Théo Pourchaire proved that Qualifying isn’t everything that season either.

The Frenchman won that year’s Feature Race from seventh on the grid, while runner-up Enzo Fittipaldi started all the way back in 15th place.

While Safety Cars can always shake up the order, the strategy game can be played and that is set to be the case this weekend, as Pirelli brings the Soft and Supersoft tyres this time around.

The red-walled tyres are a step softer than last season, so tyre degradation and tyre strategy will be a very important factor this weekend in the Feature Race especially.

So, whether a driver starts from Pole, the prime or option tyres, there’s no shortage of opportunity around Imola, and it’s usually an unpredictable race weekend from start to finish.