To win in Formula 1 it is not enough to secure the best drivers. In addition to a high-performance car, each team needs to carry out in-depth studies on the circuits on which they will try to “fly” throughout the season. Navigating the most difficult curves intelligently, knowing when to brake, and accelerating on seemingly less complicated straights is what makes the difference. Then, it is essential to pay attention to the width of the roadway, the type of asphalt and the slope of the track. We will talk about many details in this article, focusing in particular on the Italian circuits, those of Emilia-Romagna and Monza, more commonly known as the Italian GP.
The Emilia-Romagna GP
The Emilia-Romagna GP takes place in Imola on a 4.909 km long track, for 63 laps for a total of 309 km. Characterized by the anti-clockwise direction of travel, it is made up of 19 curves, 10 on the right and 9 on the left, which do not make life easy for the driver who wants to overtake. This is because it has a rather tortuous shape, it is not too wide and has a rather short finishing straight of 358 metres. The circuit where a legend like Ayrton Senna lost his life is a medium track in terms of braking intensity, which takes up 13% of the overall time. The heaviest braking sections are undoubtedly those near the Tamburello, the Variante Alta and the Rivazza, the most challenging curves by far. Despite these difficulties, Michael Schumacher won 7 times here and Valtteri Bottas on Mercedes in 2020 recorded the record time of 1’13”609. A little curiosity: the Emilia-Romagna GP is the first in the world to use green and sustainable asphalt, made with graphene and recycled plastics. Beyond the low environmental impact, this innovation improves the drainage of the asphalt in case of heavy rain.
The Italian GP
The Italian GP is the “temple of speed”, being a track where the single-seaters, when launched, reach 320 km/h. 5.25 km long, it has a roadway approximately 14 meters wide and is made up of 15 curves, 6 on the left and 9 on the right, with the longest straight measuring 1.14 km. In short, a path absolutely in the footsteps of the champion Verstappen, who according to the main F1 bets of the most accredited sites will have no rival on this occasion too. This is because, beyond this driver’s ability to tackle any type of circuit with confidence, there are numbers that tell us that Verstappen is the number one favorite to win the world championship. Returning to the Italian GP, here overtaking, unlike the Emilia-Romagna GP, is possible, for example near the Biassono curve, more commonly known as the Grande Curva, a wide-ranging stretch to the right where the cars easily catch speed and then pull away. More difficult is to overtake Lesmo 1 and 2, two twin curves 200 meters apart from each other. Being quite narrow, only the champions succeed in the feat, as happened in 1998 to Michael Schumacher when he overtook his title rival Mika Hakkinen. This circuit also features “non-curves”, such as the Serraglio, which the drivers on board the single-seaters usually don’t even feel when they lean slightly to the left. In this case you may very well not take your foot off the accelerator.
