A yellow and red day at Imola for Free Practice 1 and 2

FORMULA 2

Dino Beganovic (Hitech TGR) is the pole man of the Imola round. The Ferrari Driver Academy’s Swede took the number one slot in the most closely contested qualifying ever seen in the category, given that the top three were covered by just six thousandths of a second. Beganovic posted a 1’27”419, with Colombia’s Sebastian Montoya (PREMA Racing) three thousandths slower and France’s Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) at six thousandths.

For the first European round of the FIA Formula 2 championship at Imola’s Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, the available compounds are the Soft and Supersoft. Compared to 2024, the hardest compound on offer is a step softer and will therefore be subject to greater degradation. Last year, 16 of the 22 drivers went down this route, but they were out of luck because, surprisingly, there was no call for the Safety Car to leave pit lane.

Tyre management will be extremely difficult, especially with the Supersoft, even though its performance life will last one or two laps longer compared to its 2024 version.

FORMULA 3

Rafael Camara (Trident) will start Sunday’s race from pole. The Brazilian set a best time in qualifying of 1’32”206, beating Mexico’s Santiago Ramos (Van Amersfoort Racing) by 236 thousandths and Denmark’s Noah Stromsted, also with Trident by 244 thousandths.

As was the case last year, the compound chosen for Imola is the Medium. The 2025 cars seem to help the drivers manage thermal degradation. This characteristic could assist them in dealing with graining, which in the 2024 Feature Race began to make itself felt on the tyres before half-distance. In fact, that aside, the top three finishers all proved adept at managing tyre performance.

In general, degradation, although high, will be consistent. In the 2024 Sprint Race, there were no fewer than 6 neutralisations, which is to be expected at a track like Imola. The track is a good training ground for young drivers who have to deal with a complex mix of corners and braking points at what is a very technical circuit with very few overtaking opportunities.