Emilia-Romagna GP

2022, 24th April

• This is the only F1 Italian circuit has taken place three different GPs (San Marino, Italy and Emilia Romagna). In 2020 the second development has been done, the first was in 1994 due to Ayrton Senna passed away in Tamburello turn.
• At Imola in San Marino GP, Ayrton Senna was the 20th driver to die in the first 45 F1 years. Only one driver passed away in the next 28 seasons so far (Jules Bianchi in 2015 after his crash in Japanese GP 2014).
• Ayrton Senna took eight pole positions in Imola, more than any other driver in the Italian circuit ever. No driver has taken more pole position in a circuit than Ayrton Senna at Imola (eight, level with Michael Schumacher at Suzuka & Lewis Hamilton at Albert Park & at Hungaroring).
• The poleman has won four out of the last 15 editions at Imola (three of them thanks to Michael Schumacher: 2002, 2003 & 2006). However, the winner only failed to start out of the two first starting grid lines in two occasions in the 29 races there: Nelson Piquet, from the 5th place in 1980 & 1981, the two opening races at Imola ever. Take the race favourite Charles Leclerc to win @ odds of 11/10.
• Mercedes AMG F1 recorded the two pole positions since the Imola’s returns to F1 calendar in 2020 (Valtteri Bottas in 2020 & Lewis Hamilton in 2021). The Germans are winless & poleless both in their opening three GPs in a single season for the first time since 2011 (Michael Schumacher & Nico Rosberg). Can Hamilton take another 1st place finish? Bank on Lewis to win @ odds of 16/1!
• A Red Bull’s driver has retired three times in this three opening GPs this season, just a half than the 22 GPs in 2021 (six). The Austrians are looking for surpassing Lotus as the team to have set the most fastest laps in F1 ever (76 each).Try your luck with Verttappen to finish top 3 @ odds of 33/100!
• After point collected by Williams’s Alexander Albon in the last Australian GP, Aston Martin are the only team are pointless in this F1 World Championship, not surpassing the 12th place in the three opening races in 2022.
• Ferrari have recorded eight victories at Imola, the most for a team in this track ever level with Williams. Indeed, no country has seen more Ferrari’s wins in F1 ever than Italy (27, Germany 26): Monza 19 & Imola 8.
• Charles Leclerc comes to this contest after becoming the first Ferrari’s driver to record a Gran Chelem (win, pole position, fastest lap & leader all laps) since Fernando Alonso in Singapore 2010. The four wins secured by the Monegasque (two in 2019 & two in 2022) has been won from the pole position, including the only one achieved in Italy (Monza 2019).
• Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has set all three fastest laps in this 2022 & he could become the first F1 driver ever in to set four in a row in the opening four GPs in a single season. Overall, the last driver to set at least four fastest laps in a row was Kimi Raikkonen in 2008 between Spain & UK (six).
• Charles Leclerc is copying the Sebastian Vettel’s starting for Ferrari in 2017 when the German won the first & third races both being 2nd in the second GP. In that year, the current Aston Martin’s driver was 2nd in the fourth & recorded the Top2 in each one of the first six GPs of the 2017 season.
• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen come to this contest after retiring in Australia. The Dutch won at Imola in 2021. However, the Reigning F1 Champions have failed to finish in four of his last five GPs in Italy. Only in Bahrein (five) have recorded more abandonment than this country in his F1 career (four).
• Italy could be the first country where Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz reaches more than one podium in F1 (eight on aggregate). Before failing to finish in Australia, the Spanish finished his first 24 GPs for Scuderia, more than any other Ferrari’s driver ever.
• Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez is looking for surpassing Pedro Rodríguez as the Mexican driver to have recorded the most victories in F1 ever (both two); however, the Mexican didn’t reach back-to-back Top 2 in his F1 career. Perez to win @ odds of 10/1!
• Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton could surpass Michael Schumacher (15, 1992-2006) as the F1 driver ever to have recorded most consecutive seasons winning a race (it would 16 in a row since 2007). The Brit has progressed six places between the three sprint races combined last year, more than any other driver (level with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon).
• Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has set the only two fastest laps in the two races since the Imola’s return in 2020. The only driver to have recorded three in a row there was Michael Schumacher between 2003 & 2005.
• George Russell has collected his four opening GPs for Mercedes AMG F1; however, Emilia-Romagna is the only GP where the Brit has retired in more than one time in his F1 career, his only two appearances there: crash in 2020 & mechanical issue in 2021. Can Russel get his first win of the season and win the Romagna F1? Bank on it @ odds of 25/1!
• Alpine’s Fernando Alonso is 18 points (1st or 2nd place) away from earning 2000 points to be the third driver to reach this milestone after Lewis Hamilton & Sebastian Vettel. The Asturian driver recorded his only win at Imola 17 years ago exactly (on 24th April) after beating Michael Schumacher by 215 thousandths. Try your luck with the upset and take Alonso to win @ odds of 50/1!
• Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas is looking for equalling Rubens Barrichello as the non-World Champions to have reached the most podiums in F1 ever (68). The Finnish has earned only one point less in his first three races for the Italian team (12) than Kimi Raikkonen (10) & Antonio Giovinazzi (3) combined in the entire 2021 (13).
• While the Alfa Romeo’s Chinese Guanyu Zhou is the driver to have the worst starting in the first lap between the three GPs combined (11 places lost) in this 2021, the Alpha Tauri’s Japanese Yuki Tsunoda have the most places progressed in this process (six, Alexander Albon & Lewis Hamilton four).