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The 2023 F1 Imola GP is under the scanner as inclement weather in the region has put the race at risk.
There have been mixed reports that have left things very unclear when it comes to the fate of the race. The race notably comes at a critical juncture on the F1 calendar as the circus moves to Europe.
Coming to Europe tends to mean F1 teams will bring in their upgrade packages to the track. Mercedes, for instance, were supposed to bring a package that would reportedly change 80% of the car.
With such inclement weather expected to be a feature throughout the weekend, it is fair to assume that we might not see those upgrades making an appearance at Imola.
While the 2023 F1 Imola GP's fate still hangs in the balance, here are our top five bold predictions for the upcoming weekend.
#1 We will have a race!
Yes, you heard that right! Losing a race is a major financial loss for F1 and if we have any inkling of how the sport operates, we are going to have a race this weekend.
Now, could that race be a compromised version? Could this weekend feature the race director flipping over the rule book multiple times to determine the course of action? Both could happen, but only time will tell.
There are going to be multiple obstacles including driver/paddock safety that will have to be navigated for the race to happen. There are some positive signs, though, according to the latest reports but we still need to wait and watch how everything unravels.
We could be looking at a repeat of what happened in the 2022 F1 Japanese GP last season. That simply means the picture will continue to remain murky until the race weekend commences.
#2 It's going to be a very chaotic 2023 F1 Imola GP
What a wet race tends to do is shuffle the pecking order in ways that are sometimes hard to predict.
Cars that struggle to generate temperature in their tires tend to have a major obstacle to overcome in these conditions. That is however not the only criterion. This kind of race weekend requires the teams and the drivers to stay on top of the proceedings throughout.
No team or driver can afford to make a mistake because more often than not, they will face major consequences. The tricky conditions mean both the teams and the drivers will have to make sure when they have to be on the track to set a lap time. More importantly, they will have to be certain about what tire they need to be on.
All in all, expect a somewhat non-conventional running order during the 2023 F1 Imola GP.
#3 The usual suspects are going to shine
More often than not, when things get tough the cream rises to the top. In tricky conditions like these, exceptional drivers aided by their team in the pitlane are going to shine through the most.
When it rains, Max Verstappen is the driver to keep an eye on. The same goes for the likes of Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Lando Norris, and Fernando Alonso.
In conditions such as what we expect this weekend, these are the drivers that tend to stand out in these conditions and expect more of the same. Once again, just like every race so far this season, Verstappen will start the weekend as the favorite to win the 2023 F1 Imola GP as well.
#4 Ferrari could be the surprise package this weekend
The 2023 F1 Imola GP is the first of two home races for Ferrari. Given the kind of season the team has had so far, this is only going to add further pressure on them to perform.
There is, however, a silver lining this weekend as the inclement weather could work in Ferrari's favor.
The Italian giants' car has shown an innate ability to bring the tires up to temperature quicker than most of the competition. To add to this, the traction zones are where Ferrari tends to make most of its lap time and there are quite a few in Imola.
You add up all these factors as well as Charles Leclerc's brilliance over a single lap and we could be looking at a very impressive overall weekend for Ferrari. Leclerc and his team could very well be the dark horse at the 2023 F1 Imola GP this weekend.
#5 The nature of the track could mean less wheel-to-wheel action
One of the major drawbacks of the Imola GP has been the somewhat narrow nature of the track, which tends to hinder wheel-to-wheel action and overtakes. This was arguably the reason why the DRS introduced on the start-finish straight proved to be a game-changer over the last few seasons.
The DRS zone has given drivers a legitimate opportunity to pull off overtakes that were just not possible at the Imola GP in the past. With the 2023 edition expected to run in mixed conditions, hence disabling DRS, we could be looking at a race that features a jumbled order but does provide ample racing opportunities.
We saw a hint of it last year as well. Rain in the first part of the race meant that Lewis Hamilton ended up getting stuck in traffic and not making his way through the field. He ended up finishing 13th, with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris grabbing podium finishes.
