After the first three non-European rounds of the season, the deserts are abandoned and we return to Europe, to be precise to the 'beautiful country', where the drivers will savor for the first time in their careers, with the exception of Fernando Alonso, the real Imola full of fans, who will fill the racetrack, especially welcoming the riders at the frantic climb of the Tosa curve, and along the ferocious downhill braking of the Rivazza. A track that former Formula 1 driver Marc gene has defined as 'like those of the past'; a track dotted with many curves, extremely technical, and with marked changes in altitude; in short, one of those circuits so challenging and complex as to put even the brightest driving talents to the test, as well as the team technicians, who will have to find the right set-up that brings together the very long main straight and the 19 bends of the Santerno track, with the unusual difficulty of just one free practice session before qualifying, and not exactly smiling weather forecasts.
However, not all the drivers arrive at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari with the most joyful hopes, among them is Max Verstappen, who according to script should be the main pursuer of the Monegasque from Ferrari, but who due to known reliability problems he can only be seen sixth in the drivers' standings, 46 points off the lead. The Dutchman seems disconsolate, and according to him the best thing to do would be to reason one seasonal appointment at a time. The defending champion adds: “The team on the track and in Milton Keynes are working hard. We hope to have an easy weekend and to score some good points as a team. For now, we'll think race by race and see where we end up”. Furthermore, in view of the first 'sprint' of the season, he declares: “I can't wait to race again this weekend in Imola, this is obviously the first sprint race of the year; therefore, it is important to make the most of the first free practice session, in order to have a good understanding of the setup needed for Friday's qualifying”.
The Dutch champion therefore finds himself having to come to terms with the harsh reality, and in Red Bull, given the only free practice session before the attack on the time, they will have to find the right team right away, which is not easy given the difficult tuning of the RB18.
SOURCE: FormulaPassion