If at the beginning of the week the forecast spoke of a very high probability of rain in the hours in which the 2024 Imola GP would take place, this prospect has been drastically reduced in the evolution of the weather. Today's race should be dry although the sky could present some clouds which will lower the temperature and increase the risk graining.
In any case, it appears that an important variable is being eliminated from the equation. So the team strategists think based on "normal" conditions in these parts, net of the possible ones safety cars (high risk considering the presence of gravel and the repeated errors observed between free practice and qualifying), mean a single stop.
Before "venturing" into strategic forecasts, let's observe which and how many sets of tires are available to the riders. Remember that for the occasion Pirelli has brought the softest range of the 2024 range: C3 hard, C4 medium, C5 soft.
![Imola GP 2024](https://www.formulacritica.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Gomme-jpg.webp)
Imola GP 2024: possible strategies
Overtaking in Imola is a very difficult matter. Again, the passage in pit lane for the pit stop it is particularly penalizing given that the average time for entry, pit stop and exit is almost 27 seconds. Conditions that discourage multi-parking.
The optimal approach to the race is probably one that involves an average start to arrive, between laps 21 and 27, at the stop to mount the hard. Even if theundercut is powerful enough you could replicate what we saw in Miami, i.e. that the pilots extend the first stint waiting for an unsettling Safety Car. This was the move that allowed Lando Norris to recover and win his first Formula 1 race.
If in the United States the threat was represented by the walls, in Imola the gravel is the real scare. The races of the minor formulas (F2, F3 and Porsche) saw a massive use of the safety car which we could therefore observe with good possibilities.
Which could happen especially at the start because at the exit of the Variante del Tamburello there is no longer the asphalt that allowed you to overcome the funnel of the starting phases.
The presence of Sergio Perez in the center of the group suggests that Red Bull can differentiate its tactical plans and aim for a reversal of compound: hard in the first sector of the race, medium in the second.
Even Mercedes, which often uses different strategies for its drivers, could try something deviant. It should be remembered that on Friday the W15 performed quite well on the white band tyre. Today, with cooler temperatures, the conditions that had facilitated the Anglo-German single-seater could return.
The two-stop tactic is not rewarding and no one should consider it. The window for the double stop could open, as mentioned, if circumstances allow it: Safety Car and VSC the scattered events.
Crediti foto: F1