499P at Imola: Giovinazzi analyses the Italian track

The second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship race is being contested at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Antonio Giovinazzi, driver of the 499P number 51 shared with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, describes the characteristics of the track, one of the most iconic on the international scene, and the ambitions of the Ferrari – AF Corse team. “Imola is our home circuit,” says the 31-year-old driver, “and it’s a track where we’ve always been competitive. So we’ll try to get a great result for our fans.”

The layout. “The Imola track is ‘old style’, with lots of ups and downs and challenging turns,” according to Giovinazzi’s analysis. “The track is quite narrow so it’s not easy to overtake and you have to take several variables into account, including traffic: at Imola it's essential to be highly focused because of the high number of Hypercars and LMGT3s on the track.” The Italian driver, in his third season in the FIA WEC with the 499P, continues: “The main straight isn’t a straight in the strict sense, because it has two ‘half’ bends and it’s difficult to overtake.”

Giovinazzi continues, emphasising some of the key aspects for optimising performance on the 4.909 kilometres of the Imola circuit: “At the Tamburello Chicane you use the kerbs a lot to cover as few metres as possible and then get to Variante Villeneuve, another chicane where it’s essential to make the most of the kerbs, especially on the left side.” In describing a lap, Giovinazzi adds: “At the Tosa hairpin it’s important to prepare as well as possible for the exit that leads to another uphill straight and then to Piratella, a very fast left-hand bend where you feel all the speed of the car. Then you descend towards Acque Minerali, the most difficult bend, where it’s essential to manage braking as well as possible.” Among the most complex points is Variante Alta, “where you jump on the kerbs as if you were go-karting”, and the “two downhill turns of Rivazza, where the secret is to work on optimal braking before entering the main straight.”