Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Born anti-clockwise in 1953, Imola has always done things its own way.

The Autodromo di Imola opened on 25 April 1953, built on the grounds of a public park along the banks of the Santerno river. The original 5-kilometre layout ran anti-clockwise, an unusual characteristic it retains to this day. Early races were non-championship affairs, but the circuit quickly earned a reputation for its fast, flowing corners and the challenge of its elevation changes.

Imola squeezed Italy onto the calendar twice by borrowing San Marino's name.

After years of hosting non-championship races, Imola finally secured a round of the Formula 1 World Championship in 1980, billed as the Italian Grand Prix. Nelson Piquet won for Brabham in front of the tifosi. The following year, the race was rebranded as the San Marino Grand Prix, allowing Italy to host two championship rounds: Monza for the Italian GP and Imola under the banner of the neighbouring microstate.

Two drivers lost. One weekend. Formula 1 never looked at itself the same way again.

The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix remains the most tragic weekend in the sport's modern era. Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed during qualifying on Saturday, and the following day, three-time world champion Ayrton Senna lost his life when his Williams struck the concrete wall at the Tamburello corner. The twin tragedies prompted a wholesale overhaul of safety standards across Formula 1 and led to significant modifications at Imola itself, including the addition of chicanes at Tamburello and Villeneuve.

Seven wins at Imola; Schumacher owned the circuit long before the sport moved on.

Michael Schumacher won the final San Marino Grand Prix in 2006, his seventh victory at the circuit. It was a fitting farewell: Schumacher had made Imola his own, and the tifosi treated every race there as a home occasion for Ferrari. The circuit was dropped from the calendar after 26 consecutive years, a victim of the sport's expansion into new markets and the financial demands of hosting a modern Grand Prix.

Fourteen years in exile, then Hamilton sealed a championship at a circuit too narrow to forgive mistakes.

After 14 years away, Formula 1 returned to Imola in November 2020 as part of the reshuffled pandemic calendar. Rebranded as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the race was held behind closed doors. Lewis Hamilton won for Mercedes, clinching the Constructors' Championship in the process. The circuit had been updated but retained its essential character: fast, narrow, and unforgiving.

Rain, red flags, and Verstappen masterful in the chaos; Imola made a compelling case for its return to the calendar.

The 2021 edition delivered one of the season's most dramatic races. Heavy rain created chaos, with multiple incidents and a red flag. Max Verstappen won for Red Bull after a masterful drive in treacherous conditions, while Hamilton recovered from a half-spin to finish second. The race confirmed Imola's ability to produce unpredictable, compelling racing and strengthened the case for a longer-term return to the calendar.

Verstappen swept both the sprint and the feature race; Imola had already secured its place on the calendar through 2025.

Having proved its worth as more than a pandemic stopgap, Imola signed a contract to host the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix through to 2025. The 2022 race featured the sprint format, adding a shorter Saturday race to the weekend programme. Max Verstappen dominated, winning both the sprint and the Grand Prix. The deal represented a significant commitment from the Emilia-Romagna region, with local government backing the occasion as a showcase for the area's Motor Valley heritage.

The paddock went underwater; only the second time a modern Grand Prix has been silenced by nature.

Severe flooding across the Emilia-Romagna region in May 2023 forced the cancellation of that year's Grand Prix. The Santerno river, which runs alongside the circuit, burst its banks, and the paddock was submerged. With the region declared a disaster zone and emergency services stretched, Formula 1 and the local authorities took the decision to cancel. It was only the second time in the modern era that a Grand Prix was called off due to a natural disaster.

Verstappen claimed his third Imola win while the circuit itself races against a 2025 contract deadline.

Max Verstappen took his third Emilia Romagna Grand Prix victory in 2024, further cementing his dominance at the circuit. The race returned to its traditional spring slot, with the Emilia-Romagna region using the occasion to promote its Motor Valley corridor, home to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Ducati. With the contract set to expire after 2025, questions lingered over whether Imola would retain its place on an increasingly crowded calendar.