Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna: Stage preview

      The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix opens the European part of the season. For many years, the first stage was in Barcelona, for which teams traditionally prepared large-scale novelties. At that time, winter tests were also held in Barcelona, which made it possible to assess the progress made and the behavior of the updated car, but now the tests are taking place in Bahrain, and the European races begin in Imola.

      The European part of the season remains the longest so far. Starting in mid-May in Imola and once interrupted for an away race in Canada, it will end in mid-September in Baku. In four months, we will see ten stages, of which three in a row will take place in May, and the remaining seven in the summer, which will allow us to take a short break.

      A year ago, the Imola stage was also the seventh, and although the cars remained almost the same, the balance of power has changed significantly. At that time, Red Bull Racing was in the lead in the Constructors' Cup, beating McLaren by more than 100 points, which eventually won the Cup. Now the situation is completely the opposite. This is not to say that everything has already been decided, but McLaren's chances of winning the title and the Constructors' Championship are very high.

      I wonder how McLaren will handle the problem of two strong drivers with a real chance of winning the title this time. The team has had similar experiences before, both with Senna-Prost and Hamilton-Alonso. There is no doubt that Piastri and Norris will do everything not to miss this opportunity, because next year, when the Formula 1 regulations change, there may be no chance.

      There is a well–established pattern that a team-mate is the main rival, and in the case of McLaren drivers, this is indeed the case. Zach Brown recently said that his drivers will certainly face off in a fight for position, that it's not a matter of probability, but of time. Only team tactics can separate them in space, but they are unlikely to listen to orders when the desired goal is so close. And the old friendship between them, as in the days when victories could only be dreamed of, will no longer be. The tension becomes palpable, and they don't hide it well.

      Rivals will try to make life difficult for McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have prepared new products for Imola in the hope of reducing the gap and competing for victory. In addition, Verstappen has three consecutive wins at Imola, while his real rivals have none.

      When Flavio Briatore was called in as a consultant at Alpine, many said that a modest role for a great schemer would not be enough. And so it turned out – within a year, Flavio stripped Alpine of the status of a factory team, replaced most of the management and the rider.

      This week, he will come to Imola as the head of the team from Enstone, which, after his last departure, Jean-Francois Kobe, Eric Boullier, Cyril Abiteboul, Marcin Budkowski, Laurent Rossi, Otmar Safnauer, Bruno Famin and Oliver Oakes unsuccessfully tried to play. In fact, this project died in 2008, when, after investigating the circumstances of Nelsinho Pique's deliberate accident, the team lost everything, and Briatore received a "ban on the profession," but the story is spiraling and we see a new turn.

      It's not surprising that Franco Colapinto will replace Jack Duane. This was the initial plan, announced back in March. Franco is Briatore's young protégé, and he will be groomed for next season, when the team hopes to make significant progress, which is highly anticipated from Briatore. Interestingly, Colapinto scored his first and only Formula 2 victory at the same track a year ago.

      I wonder what will happen this time with the last representative of the Piranha Club? Flavio doesn't have much time – the competition in the championship is much more serious today than in 2008, when his desperate attempt to succeed at all costs sent Pique Jr. into the wall in Singapore.