2025 F1 Imola GP: Preview and Predictions

The 2025 F1 Imola GP kicks off the European leg of the season. This would be the first race of the year on the continent, and as is often the case, there's a lot of anticipation around what is in store.

The title battle is starting to heat up, and at the same time, the chasing pack is looking at every possible opportunity to pounce on any mistake. For far too many years now, Imola has been a track where uncertainty can play a role due to its changing weather.

This was the case in both 2021 and 2022, where rain played a role. As we head to Imola, Max Verstappen is on a 4-race winning streak on this track. Could we see a 5th? Let's take a look at our preview for the F1 Imola GP.

2025 F1 Imola GP: Preview

Key Storylines

#1 The upgrades

This is arguably the most important race weekend of the season in terms of the kind of impact it could have on the rest of the year. This is the first European race of the season, and more often than not this means that we're looking at the first opportunity for the teams to bring their major upgrades.

Upgrades do have the potential to change the trajectory of a season, and McLaren proved it last season with what it brought to Miami. The F1 Imola GP is hence crucial in that respect, and in the eyes of many teams, this weekend could dictate how the rest of the season will go.

#2 The title rivalry

Quite a few F1 pundits have changed their tone on the McLaren intra-team rivalry and are going with Oscar Piastri as the favorite. The title battle, however, is not going to be as simple. There are going to be ups and downs for both drivers, and it would come as a surprise if one of them did steal a march on the other.

With that being said, we're heading to a race where Lando Norris would want to re-establish himself in the title picture. The last few races have seen him be a bit error-prone, and that has cost him here and there. There is one thing, however, that is a positive in the last couple of races for the Brit, and it is the fact that he's slowly getting more and more comfortable with the car. Pole position is crucial at the F1 Imola GP, and Norris would be hoping to clinch this one.

#3 The tires

Processional races have been painful and a feature at the same time in 2025, and it is a result of cars producing too much dirty air, which makes overtaking a bit too difficult. This is one area where Pirelli has been tasked to work on and the tire manufacturer is bringing the softest compound to the track this weekend.

The F1 Imola GP has been characteristically processional in the last few years. Could this change with a softer compound? We'll have to wait and see.

Form Guide

In form

Oscar Piastri has had the best start to an F1 season by a McLaren driver in the 21st century—just let that sink in! What's even more impressive? In the last two races, the Australian probably was not even the fastest driver over the weekend.

Heading into the F1 Imola GP, Piastri has the wind in his sails as he tries to stretch his winning run and extend his championship lead.

Out of form

What happened to Ferrari? That is one question that a lot of experts have asked recently, and the answer to it, unfortunately, is that such a thing has become the norm. The team is the 4th fastest in F1 right now and from where it was in 2024, this is just not acceptable.

Could the team script a turnaround? We'll have to wait and see, but it certainly has its work cut out as it heads to the Imola GP.

Driver in the spotlight

An Italian teenager will be taking part in his home race with aspirations of winning it in the future. Kimi Antonelli will be racing at Imola, his home race, as he lives nearby. There's no doubt that a lot of the fans would be keeping an eye on him and how he fares with Mercedes in his first F1 race in Italy.

2025 F1 Imola GP: Predictions

Who wins the race?

Red Bull's ability to continue to nail the fast speed sections at various tracks this season means that Max Verstappen could potentially be a factor in qualifying. The issue, however, would be the fact that we've come to the F1 Imola GP with a softer set of tire compounds.

More often than not, at Imola, you can pace your stint according to the tire life, but the softer compounds do tilt the balance in favor of McLaren. Lando Norris does appear to have regained the confidence in the car, and slowly but steadily he would be hoping to regain the edge in qualifying as well.

Unfortunately for the Brit, the F1 Imola GP would be won by clinching the smaller moments, and that's where Oscar Piastri succeeds. We're going with the Australian to make it 4 out of 4 this weekend.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Team)

The home team at Imola is not your de facto Italian team one tends to think; it is Racing Bulls. The Faenza-based team's headquarters is not too far away from the circuit, and it is their home race.

One of the areas where the car appears to work impressively is the fast speed sections, and Imola should have a few of them for the car to exploit. We're backing the Red Bull sister to take a leap towards the head of the midfield at the F1 Imola GP this weekend and be a credible threat for points.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Driver)

Liam Lawson's return to Racing Bulls has not been the best if we simply look at the results that he's achieved. At the same time, if we break things down in terms of performance, he's right up there with Isack Hadjar in terms of pace. The only place where he continues to struggle is putting the weekend together.

For the F1 Imola GP, we're backing the Kiwi to do so and get points on the board for the first time this season.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Team)

This one might not be the best for Haas. The American team has shown that the car has some fundamental flaws that make it a handful to drive in certain conditions.

The track layout for the F1 Imola GP with fast speed sections is arguably not the best for the car, and the team might struggle to score points this weekend.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Driver)

The F1 Imola GP is a confidence track that flows from one section to the other. The race in Miami showed that Lewis Hamilton was starting to gain some confidence in the car. It also showed that he was still a step behind Charles Leclerc.

This is precisely what we're looking at once again this weekend. In Charles Leclerc, Ferrari has a driver who extracts everything possible from a car. On a track where qualifying is so important, it might all come down to that, and a bad qualifying, something that has become a feature of Lewis Hamilton's run recently, is going to hurt the driver in terms of where he finishes compared to his teammate.