IMOLA.- The Formula 1 He heads into the Italian Grand Prix looking back—on the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death—and the prospect of a more complicated battle for Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Los pilots joined together in a memorial race at the Imola track on Thursday afternoon to mark the anniversary of the three-time F1 champion’s fateful crash in 1994.
Senna was the childhood hero of many drivers, including seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who was nine years old in 1994 and is part of F1 history for the 13 drivers who were not born when the accident occurred.
The drivers wore shorts with the yellow, blue and green stripes of Senna’s helmet as they gathered at the memorial at the Tamburello corner, where he died.
The flags of Brazil and Austria were placed at the memorial to remember Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, who died a day earlier in qualifying.
Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, who will retire in 2022, organized the memorial together with the Senna Foundation.
Formula 1 practices:
Charles Leclerc was the fastest in both practices on Friday and Ferrari raised his game in front of the home fans. Leclerc led McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in the second session. Hamilton was fourth. Max Verstappen was seventh and his Red Bull teammate, the Mexican Sergio Pérez, was eighth.
Earlier, Verstappen was fifth in Friday’s first practice after he fell into the gravel trap on a fast final lap. Behind Leclerc were George Russell’s Mercedes and the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr.
Alex Albon, who extended his contract with Williams on Wednesday, was stranded in first practice after his car stopped without explanation 20 minutes into the session, leading to the red flag.
The Imola track has been modified since the last time an F1 race was held in 2022. Some areas of asphalt were replaced with gravel traps and now highlights the “old school” feel that the drivers like.
It also stops drivers trying to gain time by going wide on the track, which has been controversial in F1. Last year’s Imola race was canceled due to flooding in northern Italy.
Source: AP
