Will Imola be missed should it leave F1? Our writers have their say

Formula 1 returns to Imola this weekend for what will possibly be the final time the series races at the famous Emilia-Romagna circuit. 

Imola’s contract is due to expire at the end of this year, prompting debates as to whether its deal should be extended or not.

The old school track first graced the F1 calendar in 1980 having replaced Monza as host of that year’s Italian Grand Prix due to renovation work at The Temple of Speed.

Even as Monza returned for 1981 though, Imola stayed in F1 but this time hosting the San Marino Grand Prix to kickstart a 25-year stay on the calendar.

Imola dropped off for 2007 before returning during the COVID-hit 2020 campaign, this time as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and it has remained ever since.

But there is a lot of debate as to whether or not Imola has a place in the modern day F1, due to the much bigger than before cars while the circuit remains tight and twisty.

This has limited overtaking opportunities in recent years with some fans not best pleased with the entertainment of the race – so, should its contract extend beyond this year and if it isn’t, will Imola even be missed?

Our writers have their say…

Classic circuits like Imola are great for the drivers, but not the fans – Oleg Karpov

There’s one great thought Paddy Lowe once shared with me: “Formula 1 isn’t there to entertain drivers. Drivers in Formula 1 are to entertain us.”

It wasn’t related to tracks, actually – we were talking about how drivers hate the Super-, Ultra-, Hyper- and Freaking- (not sure the latter was used) Soft Pirelli tyres. But the argument was simple: if drivers don’t like it, but it produces a good show – we as fans shouldn’t really care what drivers think.

That applies to tracks as well. I hate to see the outcry on social media about how F1 should have more classic tracks on the calendar – because it’s mainly driven by drivers saying how much they love the likes of Spa, Suzuka, Zandvoort, Mugello and others. There was an outpour of joy when Imola came back on the calendar too. But most of the old tracks are narrow, they aren’t overtaking-friendly – and as much as drivers love the challenge, it adds almost nothing for those of us actually watching the races. When cars form a train and go through these blessed-with-history esses and twists, it’s not necessarily a great show.

For me, the best track on the calendar is Bahrain. I’ve never heard a driver call it their favourite – but to me as a spectator, it’s definitely one to look forward to. Because the layout offers not just overtaking opportunities, but the possibility for long battles: all the way from braking into Turn 1 to the exit of Turn 4 and even into Turn 5. Then there’s Turn 11, too, and even the last corner. Its abrasive asphalt is hard on tyres, which gives teams a chance to try different strategies. We should have more of these sorts of tracks – if that’s up to me.

Imola is fantastic. I’m sure drivers love that whole section from Tosa to the Variante Alta chicane (oh, the names!) – with elevations, technical corners like Acque Minerali and all that… But you can’t overtake there, can you? So what’s in it for the fans?

I think the world is sometimes too harsh on Hermann Tilke – he’s actually not given enough credit for creating some of the great tracks on the F1 calendar, Bahrain included. And the likes of Baku, Shanghai or Austin are much better suited to providing opportunities for good racing than circuits like Imola or Suzuka. So if the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is replaced with a “tilkedrome” like Sepang, I’m not sure I’m personally going to miss all the rivazzas and piratellas.

Imola is perfect for the romanticism of F1, but it remains in the past – Jake Boxall-Legge

It’s a gorgeous part of the world – a bubble of breeziness seems to blow around a 20-or-so mile radius around the Imola circuit. When you step uneasily on the tiny cobblestone pavings in the tiny towns in the Emilia-Romagna region, or drive past neatly curated vineyards and peach trees, you wonder if a Formula 1 event could really be held here – yes, here.

Although the thread of motorsport’s romance intertwines perfectly with the setting, F1’s more contemporary image and its modern technology does seem to clash. Actually, there’s nothing ‘seem’ about it – there is a very clear juxtaposition between the two ‘aesthetics’.

The cars are far too big for the circuit these days, despite efforts to try to tinker with the corner profiles over the past few years. One cannot deny that it’s a driving epic, particularly the middle sector as you cascade from Piratella into the Acque Minerali compression, but – as Oleg has argued – a drivers’ circuit does not usually correlate into a good racing spectacle.

Would Imola be fantastic if the cars were smaller? Undoubtedly; passing would still be a challenge, but not impossible – which is the balance one wants from an F1 race. But with these current boats that are only really designed for high-speed endeavours? All the work is done on Saturday and, on the evidence of the 2025 season so far, we don’t need another race which is effectively determined by qualifying order.

Imola is wonderful, but it’s a circuit that’s out of time.

It’s time to replace the Imola procession with something more modern – Stuart Codling

Things aren’t what they were, they’re what they are – and the reality of Imola is that it cuts a sadly anachronistic presence in the F1 calendar. The fast and flowing circuit is a challenge, yes, the local fans are fantastically knowledgeable and passionate, indeed… and, of course, this being the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, the pleasures of the table are simply peerless.

And yet I would give all of these up for a track on which contemporary F1 cars can actually race as opposed to toddling around in formation until someone makes a mistake.

For me, the problem with Imola is that it’s fundamentally unsuited to this generation of car. A fast lap around here requires drivers to ride the kerbs, not a win-win mission with these portly, stiffly sprung cars which despise bumps. It is actually dispiriting to watch the best drivers in the world exercise their talents in pursuit of shunning the kerbs.

Having to treat track limits with the circumspection one might afford a spitting cobra means the variety of possible racing lines diminishes – and, with it, the possibility of racing.

So, ciao Imola – we’ll be back when F1 cars have steel brakes and ride on cross-ply tyres.