F1 Imola 2025 Race Preview: Tyre Strategy, Weather Forecast, and What to Watch on Track

IMOLA IS GONNA SLAP

(There, I said it 😗✌️)

This weekend is shaping up to be EPIC... and not just because I’m unreasonably obsessed with this track low key (although… guilty)

We’ve got...

*drumroll please * 🥁

A high-downforce, old-school, no-room-for-error circuit 😏

Big upgrades from almost every team 😏

NEW TYRES (helloooooo, C6 debut) 😏

And maybe even a little rain to spice things up? Yes pls 🤭

Thiiiiiiis is where the season could start to shift...

So let’s break it down, Cole’s Corner style 😎👉👉

Track Tea & Analysis

Ah, Imola 😶

aka: Where setup issues go to die 😶

Imola is a proper old-school circuit. It's...

Narrow

Fast

Technical

AND has barely any run-off 😳

That means mistakes get PUNISHED, and you need to have confidence in every single part of your car: braking stability, kerb handling, traction, balance, tyre wear… all of it

Or else... 😳

*nervous chuckle *

It’s NOT a track that flatters weak setups. If your car has flaws, they’ll show up here, loud and clear.

There is no sector to hide at Imola...

Let’s go (cole's) corner by corner (hehe) and unpack what each section demands and what to keep an eye on during qualifying and the race.

Turns 1–2: Tamburello

We start off strong with a flat-out run into a heeeeeeeavy braking zone for a high-speed chicane.

There's a combo of....

Left 👈

👉 Right

Left 👈

... that reeeeeally demands confidence and precision, especially over the tall, aggressive kerbs.

The car has to be stable under braking and responsive through fast direction changes.

👀 Watch out for

• Overtakes into Turn 1... the DRS zone before this makes it the #1 overtaking spot.

• Lock-ups from cars going deep into the corner with cold tyres or too much pressure from behind.

• Kerb behavior. A good car will absorb the kerbs smoothly. A bad one will bounce or get unsettled... you’ll see it. Trust me.

Turns 3–4: Villeneuve

Here we've got a tighter chicane than Tamburello, with even less margin for error.

The bumps here can upset the car, and getting traction on the exit is CRITICAL

... especially because the next corner is a heavy braking zone uphill 😳

👀 Watch out for...

• Exit grip: Poor traction = compromised run up to Tosa.

• Handling over bumps: If a car looks twitchy or unsettled, that’s setup or ride height showing.

• Gap closing: This is where drivers try to line up a sneaky lil move into Turn 5.

Turn 5: Tosa Hairpin

This is a tight, slow-speed left-hander.

Here, the drivers brake HARD, rotate the car cleanly, and aim for early throttle without spinning the rears.

Easy peasy, right? (Wrong)

It’s a huuuuge traction test, especially on worn tyres 😅

👀 Watch out for:

• Wheelspin on exit: This means they've got poor throttle control or rear instability.

• Divebombs: If someone’s close from Villeneuve, they might lick the stamp and ✨️send it✨️ here.

• Hill climb performance: The run up from Tosa shows who’s getting better traction.

Turns 6–7: Piratella

A fast, off-camber left-hand corner.

btw: “Off-camber” means the track slopes away from the apex, so it’s easy to drift wide.

THIS is where aero balance and cornering confidence matter the most.

👀 Watch out for...

• Wide exits caused by poor front-end grip or a late turn-in

• Lifts or hesitation that tells us the drivers backing off mid-corner are not trusting the car.

• Grip difference between teammates (this is great to spot setup differences)

Turns 8–9: Acque Minerali

Here we've got a downhill kink into a hard-braking, double-apex right-hander.

This bit is SUPER dynamic and fast, and the drivers are on the limit of grip under braking WHILE the car is still loaded from the previous turn 😳

Sooooo it's VERY easy to lock a tyre or run deep.

👀 Watch out for...

• Snappy moments on turn-in or exit that tell us the rear is unstable.

• Clean lines vs messy entries (Good cars will glide. Others will fight every inch)

• Tyre wear is wild here, so if someone’s struggling here later in the race, the tyres are suffering and we probably need an F in chat.

Turns 10–11: Variante Alta

This is a short, tight and feisty chicane with super tall kerbs and a very steep entry.

You have to be aggressive, but smart, because it’s easy to damage the floor or lose momentum if you attack it wrong.

👀 Watch out for...

• Deleted laps in quali: This is the track limits hotspot.

• How the car handles kerbs: Some cars live laugh LOVE this section. Some absolutely hate it.

• Overcorrections or bouncing will mean there's poor setup and hesitation.

Turns 12–15: Rivazza Complex

This is the final sector.

Here it's downhill braking into a wide, sweeping left-hander (Turn 12) ➡️

... followed by a tighter left (Turn 14) that leads onto the main straight ➡️

It's sooo easy to mess up, especially when tyres are worn or if you’re chasing 👀

👀 Watch out for...

• Rear-end snaps are very common here if traction isn’t perfect.

• Exit speed is critical for setting up a DRS pass into Turn 1.

• Some drivers will risk EVERYTHING here in the last lap and brake late.

The Main Straight

It's not the longest straight on the calendar, but it's the ONLY DRS zone here, and it's the best shot at overtaking.

If someone ahead gets a poor exit from Rivazza, they’re in trouble... 🫣

👀 Watch out for...

• If multiple cars are within a second of each other and all get DRS, they all cancel each other out and overtakes become harder (a DRS train)

• This is where clever positioning pays off with a nifty lil slipstream advantage

• Expect ✨️drama✨️ if someone’s desperate and makes a late defensive movem

TYRE TALK: The C6 Has Entered the Chat

This weekend we’re seeing the C6 compound in action for the very first time EVER (low key I'm ridiculously excited)

The C6 is Pirelli’s softest tyre, making it the grippiest.

More grip = more speed, BUT it also means it degrades faster than anything else 🫣

This is the tyre range at Imola:

🔴 C6 (Soft)

These are the softest compounds.

They've got maximum grip and are probably best for qualifying laps, but not race stints.

They're wayyy too soft for long-term use unless it’s cold or wet.

🟡 C5 (Medium)

This is the most likely race tyre, with a strong balance between grip and longevity.

⚪️ C4 (Hard)

This compound has lower grip, but lasts much longer, and it could be useful if the race heats up or there’s early tyre wear.

What this means for strategy 🤔

It is looking like two-stoppers are very likely, and we could see a combo like C6–C5–C4.

BUTTTT when it comes to strategy at Imola, flexibility (reeeeally) matters.

Teams might gamble on undercuts, or extend a stint if there’s rain on the radar.

On quali day, out of interest, watch who saves fresh new C5s for the race. This could be a deciding factor late in the Grand Prix 👀

The Weather Forecast Could Flip Everything

⛅️ Friday (Practice): 18°C, partly cloudy

🌤 Saturday (Qualifying): 19°C, dry and ideal for hot laps

☁️ Sunday (Race): 24°C and a 20–30% chance of rain

This is the kind of forecast where teams have to build "what-if" plans.

If there's rain mid-race, we'll be seeing A LOT of double-stack drama, bold tyre gambles, and drivers having to guess grip level corner by corner.

👀 Watch out for...

• Early tyre change decisions, because teams that pit at the perfect moment for inters can gain 5+ places. That's HUGE.

• One part of the track can be bone dry while another’s still soaked. That’s where it gets chaotic, as the sectors dry at different rates.

• Some drivers thrive in the wet, while others panic. So driver confidence is definitely something to keep in mind.

Team-by-Team Breakdown

McLaren

Piastri leads the WDC.

The car is well-rounded and strong everywhere – braking, traction, tyre life, aerodynamics.

They'll be bringing small upgrades, but no big changes are needed (you don't mess with perfection haha. I kid. But this car IS a beast)

Imola suits them and I think we can expect them at the front in both qualifying and the race.

Red Bull

Max says the car still feels off, but he’s adapting.

They're bringing upgrades to their front wing + floor, and we can expect them to test the upgrades hard in FP1–2.

If the upgrades land, they’ll be back in the fight. If not? McLaren might walk away with this one 🫣

Ferrari

It's their home race, so they're already under massive pressure.

They're bringing a new floor and some aero tweaks, but they've decided to delay their BIG upgrades for Spain (it was initially planned for this weekend)

Will it work out for them in front of their home crowd? We'll see, Tifosi – we'll see 😅

Mercedes

This is their biggest 2025 upgrade so far.

They're bringing a new floor and potentially a new rear wring.

They're still struggling quite a bit with rear tyre wear and consistency in long-runs.

If it clicks, they’re back in business. If not? Midfield blues are on the horizon 😶

Alpine

New team principal. New rookie driver (Colapinto replaced Doohan. For 5 races. It's a long story)

BUT they have no confirmed upgrades.

Nobody reeeeeally knows what's going on at Alpine rn, but there is CHAOS.

What to look for in this Race

So what should you be watching for this weekend?

First up, qualifying.

It’s going to be tense — the track limits are strict, traffic is always a mess, and one teeny tiny mistake could be the difference between a second row start and getting dumped in P13.

yeahhhh, it's THAT serious.

Then there’s tyre wear.

The C6 soft compound is making its race debut, and if it starts graining early, expect teams to scramble into the pits way sooner than planned.

Add to that the ever-present chance of wet-dry chaos... if the forecast shifts mid-race, we’re talking strategy roulette 😳

Some teams will bet on a fully dry setup, others will prep for the rain, and only one will get it right 👀

ALSO

Don’t sleep on Sector 2, guys 😗

It’s fast, flowing, and ✨️brutal✨️ if your car balance is off. Nail it, and you’re in the fight. Miss it? Well, Sashay away...

Imola doesn’t play. It’s fast. It’s narrow.

And it punishes hesitation.

This is where we see who’s really figured out their car... and who’s still guessing.

And with new tyres, massive upgrades, and a possible weather curveball?

We’re heading into one of the most unpredictable weekends of the year 😏

Let’s see who delivers.

Let’s see who fumbles.

Let's go RACING 🏁