Imola is preparing for intense battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc | formula 1

By Marijn Abbenhuijs

If the 21 laps of the sprint race were a harbinger of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, today the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari awaits a blood-curdling battle between Red Bull and Ferrari.

Imola has all the ingredients for an intense battle. Max Verstappen, who is allowed to start at the front, still does not fully assume that his car is now completely reliable. Yesterday there was a problem with the synchronization of his gears, causing him to start very slowly.

Charles Leclerc, the home favorite and convincing leader in the World Cup standings, struggled to control the wear on the soft tires, while his Ferrari two weeks ago in Australia was just as good on the medium and hard tyre.

And then there’s Carlos Sainz, who doesn’t always seem to be able to handle the pressure well at his team’s home circuit, but has now moved up to fourth place after his crash in qualifying. seems to get more out of his Red Bull than he did last year, starting from P3 in between the Ferraris.

It is a very interesting starting point for a race, which could well be influenced by the weather conditions. A little rain is forecast for the race. And in those rainy conditions, Verstappen took pole position in qualifying on Friday. The Dutchman is always confident in his abilities when it comes to driving on a wet track. And last year he also won the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in rainy conditions.

But there are more factors that will play a role during this grand prix. ,,Because if I start the same way during the race as during the sprint race, I definitely have to look over my shoulder at Leclerc,” said Verstappen after his win on Saturday. ,,And with different tires it will be different anyway.”

If it is up to Leclerc, it will certainly be different. He also has nothing to prove to the Italian public. The ‘tifosi’ came to Imola to watch Ferrari win and were convinced beforehand that it would.

,,The crowd is great”, Leclerc indicated shortly after the sprint race. ,,It’s wonderful to see so many people cheering for you.” He then spoke to them in fluent Italian: ,,I’m trying to make sure the race ends differently than the sprint race.”

A battle between the two strongest teams at the moment, in the rain, in front of the home crowd of one of those teams. It promises to be an intense Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna.