Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images
Rainy conditions are in the forecast for F1 this week
Formula 1 fans are hoping to see a little more excitement on the track this week when the teams return to the grid. Thanks to the dominant start to the 2023 season from Red Bull, which has seen either Max Verstappen or Sergio Pérez win each of the season’s first five races, fans are yearning for more action at the front of the field each week.
While expected upgrades from the other teams could perhaps narrow the gap, there is another potential disruptor lurking as the grid heads to northern Italy this week.
Weather.
Looking at the forecast for Imola this weekend, odds are increasing that rainy conditions could impact not just practices on Friday, but qualifying on Saturday, and even the Grand Prix itself.
According to Weather.com there are increasing odds of rain for Imola this week, starting on Friday when two practice sessions as scheduled, and through Saturday’s qualifying sessions and the race on Sunday:
Weather Channel
F1 journalist Clare Cottingham shared this screenshot of the forecast as well:
Interestingly enough, this forecast comes as Pirelli, the designated tyre supplier for F1, will be debuting a new wet tyre for Imola, a compound that does not require warmers. As noted in Pirelli’s preview of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, previous versions of their wet tyre compound required the use of tyre warmers:
The new Cinturato Blue full wet will also make its debut at Imola and will no longer need tyre warmers. Until now, extreme wet tyres have been heated with tyre warmers for two hours at 40°C. Pirelli has developed a new compound that can be fitted to cars without the need to heat the tyres with thermal blankets.
The introduction of the new compound is part of a research and development process agreed upon between Pirelli, the FIA, and F1 to achieve the technical feasibility necessary for the use of all types of tyres without tyre warmers by 2024.
This forecast comes as the region has been battered by rain and flooding in recent days. A period of heavy downpours led to flooding in the area last week, leading to landslides and tragically causing two deaths.
The flooding raised concerns about the status of the Grand Prix at Imola, but representatives from the Emilia Romagna GP told PlanetF1 that the conditions had not caused any disruptions to the track and preparations for the weekend. “We confirm that, at the moment, the storms that hit our region this week haven’t caused any disruption to our track and to the event,” a spokesperson told PlanetF1.com.
According to this report from RaceFans, despite forecasts calling for potential flooding due to the rain, and concerns regarding flooding of rivers near the track itself, F1 is planning on forging ahead with the Grand Prix. F1 is “aware that such extreme wet weather could pose some organizational difficulties.”
Then on Tuesday, word came that the track was being evacuated for a risk of flooding:
Personnel told to evacuate the circuit at Imola due to risk of flooding. Fingers crossed it proves only precautionary and everyone is given the all-clear to resume prep at some stage, but safety has to come first #F1
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) May 16, 2023
If the qualifying and/or the race itself are run in slick conditions, that could bring about the shakeup of the grid fans have been clamoring for.
