2021 Imola Grand Prix Team Preview: Alfa Romeo

After missing out on points in Bahrain, Alfa Romeo heads to its first home Grand Prix of the season at Imola. With narrow margins in a tightly packed midfield, the Italian team would look to replicate their strong performance from last year's Imola Grand Prix. The team finished both cars in the points in 2020.

Team Principal Frederic Vasseur summed up the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend as a "solid start to the season." Looking ahead to the second round of the championship in Imola, the Frenchman said:

"We have made a considerable step forward in performance, possibly one of the biggest across the field, and we are now in the midfield fight, but the top ten is where you have to finish to bring home the points so that has to be our objective for Imola.”

Qualifying is extremely important to get a good result at Imola. Team principal Frederic Vasseur echoed this sentiment, saying:

“We have seen how difficult it is to overtake around this circuit, so our Saturday performance will be crucial to make sure we get to the race in the best possible position to bring home points.”

You don't really need us to tell you what's going on this week, right? 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/3MjAY3yr0n

— Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN (@alfaromeoracing) April 12, 2021

Alfa Romeo looking to replicate last season's performance

Alfa Romeo had their best result of 2020 at Imola. Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen finished in P9 while Italian driver Antonio Giovinazzi finished in P10.

The team scored three of their eight points in the 2020 season at the iconic Italian circuit. Both their drivers were aided by a one-stop strategy that played to their advantage and helped them surge through the midfield.

Although the team had a decent performance in the season-opener at Bahrain, they were one of four teams to miss out on points. With only the top 10 finishers scoring championship points under current regulations, Alfa Romeo need to be faster at Imola.

Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo Racing in the Drivers Press Conference ahead of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, Bahrain. Photo: Florent Gooden - Pool/Getty Images.

Speaking of the weekend ahead, Raikkonen said:

“We are confident we can be in the middle of the fight for points in Imola as well, but we are under no illusions it is going to be easy. We saw in Bahrain that even a good weekend doesn't mean a top ten finish, so we know we have to keep pushing to improve everything we do from Thursday to Sunday: the difference between finishing just behind the top teams and outside of the top ten will be very small.”

Speaking about the team's expectations for the weekend, Kimi Raikkonen explained the need to be closer to the lead midfield group, referring to the top 10. Both drivers have acknowledged the potential of a points finish at the Imola Grand Prix.

Antonio Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo in the paddock at the 2021 Bahrain GP. Photo: Peter Fox/Getty Images.

Alfa Romeo's Italian driver, Giovinazzi, said:

“We know we can be in the fight, but we also know we need to deliver a flawless weekend to maximise our returns. The margins are very small in the midfield, especially in qualifying, and every little detail makes a difference.”

For Giovinazzi, it's not just his team's home race. The Italian driver is also looking forward to opening his account for the season in his home country.

“I would love to open my scoring tally in Imola, on home soil: having three home races last season didn't spoil me, it's always a special feeling to race at home and this weekend will be no different.”

Alfa Romeo is expected to finish at least one car in the points at their home Grand Prix. However, narrow margins in the midfield remain a challenge for the team.

The team looked strong at the pre-season test and in the first round of the championship in Bahrain. Alfa Romeo will hope to carry their form into the Imola Grand Prix weekend.