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The great unheralded Imola F1 drives
The return of Imola to the Formula 1 calendar for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna GP provides an opportunity to assess some of its less-remembered noteworthy drives. We highlight those which have been forgotten by history
Imola will forever be remembered for the black weekend in 1994 that claimed the lives of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger that resulted in sweeping changes to Formula 1 safety. But for 27 consecutive years between 1980 and 2006, when it was a staple of the F1 calendar, it also had a reputation as a tough nut to crack that was especially hard on fuel and engines.
After hosting non-championship grands prix in 1963 and 1979 (the Imola GP won by Jim Clark and the Dino Ferrari GP by Niki Lauda), it briefly took the Italian GP away from Monza in 1980 before becoming a permanent fixture as the home of the San Marino GP the following year.
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Is Formula 1 as good as it has ever been now?
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When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle.
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| Series | Formula 1 |
| Author | James Newbold |