14/05/2024
NEWS STORY
Toto Wolff: We are now one quarter of the way through the season. The first six races have not been straightforward, but we have built a clear understanding of where we need to improve and shaped a clear path forward to tackle that. It will be several races before we see this bear fruit, but everyone is working hard to bring them as soon as is possible. In the meantime, we will be looking to maximise the package we have. We are bringing some more updates to Imola and hopefully they push us in the right direction.
After two Sprints in a row, we now go back to the more usual weekend format. It affords us more time to refine the set-up, but Imola is still a demanding circuit that challenges both the car and the driver. It has several fast and flowing sections, but some low-speed corners too and a tricky, bumpy surface. It's narrow, which makes overtaking difficult, and has plenty of elevation. All that combines to provide a stern test and one we're looking forward to.
We will of course take the time along with the rest of the paddock to reflect and remember Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna, who we lost 30 years ago. As a team, we will also be marking the 100th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz's victory in the 1924 Targa Florio. The Mercedes-Benz Classic team have done a superb job restoring the original car and we can't wait to see it running to the Trofeo Bandini awards on Wednesday - and then on track during the weekend.
Fact File: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
• Construction of the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari first started in 1950 and the circuit hosted its debut race in 1953.
• The track has hosted F1 races under three different names: the San Marino Grand Prix, Italian Grand Prix and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
• This weekend will be Mercedes' 300th F1 Grand Prix. The team contested 12 races across 1954 and 1955 before rejoining the sport as a works team at the start of 2010.
• Having hosted a race every year between 1980 and 2006, the circuit disappeared off the calendar in 2007, but returned in 2020 as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
• The team captured its seventh consecutive World Constructors' Championship with a 1-2 at Imola in 2020.
• The 2023 edition of the race was cancelled due to devastating flooding around the track and in the surrounding region.
• At 548 metres, the distance spent under the pit lane speed limit at Imola is the longest on the calendar.
• It takes drivers nearly 25 seconds to navigate during a stop in the race.
• The race also has the highest level of fuel consumption seen on the 2024 calendar.
• With an average ambient air temperature of 14.8 degrees, the race could also be described as one the coldest of the season.
• Changes have been made to the track for 2024. The run-off area at T9 has been removed and replaced with a gravel trap, while the asphalt run-off area on the exit of Turns 11, 12, and 13 has been reduced in favour of gravel too.
• The exit of the Turn 14-15 chicane is now also a gravel trap instead of a tarmac run-off area.