Can McLaren and Ferrari keep up the pace to challenge Red Bull?
NOTE: Thirty years ago, Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died at Imola, and tributes and special events over the weekend marked the occasion. The sport has come a long way since that tragic day in May 1994, and that may be the greatest tribute to the two drivers who lost their lives that day.
This year, the race at Imola may become known for something very different. Red Bull and Max Verstappen have dominated the sport since the ‘ground-effect’ car concept was introduced into Formula One at the start of the 2022 season, and the innovation has affected the sporting spectacle and fan excitement.
But this weekend–for the second race weekend running–Red Bull did not hold an advantage over the rest of the grid, and that outcome may be the beginning of a much-needed trend in Formula One (or any sport for that matter), competition.
After Lando Norris deservedly won the last race at the Miami Grand Prix by outperforming and outpacing Verstappen, many wondered if this was a one-off occurrence due to the specifics of the Miami circuit. Would it be like the Singapore Grand Prix last season, where Carlos Sainz delivered the only non-Red Bull victory in 2023?
That didn’t happen. For most of the weekend at Imola, Red Bull did not look to have the pace of either McLaren or Ferrari, even though Verstappen and Red Bull delivered something special by claiming the pole position in qualifying—and with that win–matching the great Ayrton Senna’s eight consecutive pole positions across the 1988 and ’89 seasons.
But Imola 2024 was a different story as Verstappen held off a late race charge from Lando Norris to claim the victory by less than one second. The big question is, what might have happened had the race started with both McLarens behind Verstappen? That didn’t happen. Even though the McLarens had qualified 2nd and 3rd on the grid, Oscar Piastri incurred a 3-place penalty that dropped him to fifth.
Like McLaren, Ferrari also showed great pace throughout the Imola weekend. Charles Leclerc had topped the timesheets in first and second practice, and he looked like the driver to beat. However, Ferrari couldn’t match the pace of either Red Bull or McLaren, but Charles Leclerc did manage to secure third place in the race. It meant that Ferrari had a car on the podium for the sixth race out of seven this season, including the team’s 1-2 finish in Australia. Ferrari hopes that the future will be even brighter once their new upgrade package takes effect.
Formula One fans now genuinely hope there will be a three-way battle for the remainder of the 2024 season. Fans have never had an issue with who wins in Formula One, but they want to see contested races.
If McLaren and Ferrari can continue to fight Red Bull for the remainder of the 2024 season, it will reignite the sport and get fans excited about the future.
