Autoweek rounds up some the stories and incidents you may have missed from this past weekend’s Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola:
Bouncing Is Taking It’s Great on Mercedes
The “porpoising” phenomenon has affected several F1 teams in 2022, and Mercedes has been at the forefront of that issue.
So bad was its bouncing during Friday practice at Imola that driver George Russell broke a stay on the W13’s floor and he couldn’t go full throttle along the straights. After finishing a superb fourth at Imola, considering the performance of the misbehaving car, Russell conceded that the bouncing is beginning to have a physical impact.
“When the car is in the right window and the tires are in the right window the car, except for the bouncing, feels really good to drive,” he said. “The bouncing really takes your breath away. It’s the most extreme I’ve ever felt it, I really hope we find a solution, and every team struggling with it finds a solution because it’s not sustainable for the drivers to continue with this level.
“This is the first weekend I’ve truly been struggling with my back and almost had chest pains from the severity of the bouncing. It’s (the bouncing) what we have fastest to do to get the lap times out of the car.”
Five-time MotoGP world champ Jorge Lorenzo’s second racing act is on four wheels in Porsche Supercup.
Dan MullanGetty Images
From Two Wheels to Four
MotoGP legends trying their hand at motorsport has become a common theme recently. Valentino Rossi is embarking on a full program in GT World Challenge Europe and Dani Pedrosa is dipping his toes into the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series.
Five-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo, who retired from MotoGP after 2019, is now joining them. This year he is racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia but made a VIP appearance in the opening round of the Porsche Supercup at Imola. The highly-competitive series uses Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and is entering its 30th year of competition.
“After the end of my MotoGP career, I missed the competition.”
“After the end of my MotoGP career, I missed the competition, so I went looking for something safer than motorcycle racing,” said Lorenzo. “Last year I contested a few virtual races in the esports version of the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia. Switching to the real Porsche 911 GT3 Cup was the next step.”
As expected Lorenzo’s results were modest. He qualified 31st of the 33 entrants, three seconds off the pace, and in the race classified 30th of the 32 drivers to reach the flag. But given the wet conditions for Sunday’s race he fared well to keep out of trouble and far from disgraced himself.
Mugello is part of Italy’s “Motor Valley.”
Steve WobserGetty Images
Italy’s Motor Valley
Motorsport valley is a belt of land across southern England where you almost can’t move for motorsport teams but the region surrounding Imola stakes its own claim as “Motor Valley.”
There’s Misano just along the Adriatic coast and Mugello over the hills in nearby Tuscany. A short drive to Faenza brings you to AlphaTauri’s factory while around an hour away is Maranello, Ferrari’s home, with the town essentially devoted to the manufacturer.
Any car nut in the region simply has to visit Maranello, check out the Scuderia’s road and race car base, and have a gander at the museum that features a plethora of Formula 1 machinery and memorabilia. There’s also the famous restaurant, opposite Ferrari’s iconic main gates, that has been frequented by the good and the great of Ferrari’s history.
Emilia Romagna’s government has tapped into its status as Motor Valley and has been one of the unexpected beneficiaries of the pandemic, firstly jumping at the chance to host a Formula 1 race in 2020, and then tying down a contract through 2025. It’s also a culturally vibrant region, with picturesque Bologna the nearest major town, while just a stone’s throw from Imola is the hilltop medieval village of Dozza, famous for its painted walls and murals that have led to it being regarded as one of the most beautiful places in Italy. And considering the jaw dropping landscape in Italy that’s some claim.
Formula 1 isn’t all glitz and glamour, after all.
Philip Horton
Imola a Muddy Mess
Imola fits the stereotypical view of Italy. The organization is well-intentioned but sometimes questionable, the facilities are a little haphazard while there was a bizarre situation where media could not take drinks (even bottled water) from the canteen to the media centre. Who knows why, but alas, just go along with it.
Imola’s location adjacent to the town means the infrastructure is more compact and chaotic than most venues and given it is not a circuit that can throw money at a problem then it can lead to said problems. One such issue was that most of the parking lots—for spectators and paddock personnel—were in fields.
The weather in April can be unpredictable and that was seen for all days bar Saturday, with rain lashing down at regular intervals. That turned the parking lots into Quagmires and a tractor was enlisted to help stranded team personnel and media out of the mud most evenings. The poor soccer team whose pitch was being utilized for the parking lot may have to do some reseeding.
Mark ThompsonGetty Images
Haas vs. Uralkali
Legal rumblings continue behind-the-scenes amid the fallout between Haas and Uralkali.
Haas terminated Uralkali’s title sponsorship following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but Uralkali has begun to pursue Haas for the money it already paid for 2022—thought to be in excess of $10 million. However, Haas is understood to now be chasing Uralkali for loss of profits.
Speaking on Thursday Haas boss Guenther Steiner outlined that “it’s a legal situation and I respect confidentiality. I don’t want to publicly come out ‘we said that, they said that.’ I don’t want to be in a position to comment publicly.”
After the Uralkali saga, and 2019 Rich Energy mess, Steiner said, “we want to take time to do our due diligence” on future sponsors and that “there’s no point to rush for anything we may regret in six months’ time.”
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack.
Peter J FoxGetty Images
Krack Misses the Party
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who hails from Imola, took senior team personnel to dinner on Friday evening at a swanky restaurant nearby.
Nine of the 10 team principals were in attendance, along with Formula 1’s managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn, Pirelli chief Mario Isola, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi and McLaren CEO Zak Brown. Conspicuously absent from the group photo was any representation from Aston Martin.
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack, who joined in February, was quick to clarify his non-presence.
“We had a little communication problem that prevented me from going so that that’s the reason behind it,” said Krack, having initially joked that he took the photo.
There was nonetheless good news for Krack come Sunday as Aston Martin picked up its first points under his guidance, with Sebastian Vettel finishing eighth and Lance Stroll completing the top 10.
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