For the citizens of Imola the desire for speed has been part of their make-up since ancient times. When Imola was called Cornelli Forum, at the time of the ancient Roman civilisation in the year 80 before Christ, it was an amphitheatre where two wheeled charriots used to race, in preparation for the steel horses! The foundations of the current racetrack can be traced back to the 1940s. To financially help (and provide work) for a depressed economy of the post war era, a series of public works were launched, including the construction of a road which connected the "via Emilia", where today there is the Rivazza bend, to the village of Codrigano, reaching the "Tosa bend". Then four motor racing enthusiasts from Imola (Alfredo Campagnoli, Graziano Golinelli, Ugo Montevecchi and Gualtiero Vighi) had the idea of building a race circuit in these hills. In addition to the enthusiasm of these four, the initiative of Checco Costa was then added, who was to become the organiser of major motorcycle events.

Since the 3rd May 1981, Imola has held the San Marino Grand Prix, with the Italian Grand Prix being held at Monza. Named in honour of the great Enzo Ferrari and his Son Dino, Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the circuit seems to have encapsulated some of the passion that fuels the Scuderia. And that passion was evident on 23rd April 1988, there was "A Miracle at Imola". At 14.38, the Ferrari driven by number 28 Berger crashes at 280 kmph, bursting into flames. After 14.98 interminable seconds, due to the swift intervention of the CEA emergency services, and under the concerned gaze of the public, the flames are extinguised. Berger is saved and goes on to re-enter the race. Praise for the efficiency of the Imola organisation who saved a man who seemed destined to die was received from the public and a grateful Gerhard Berger.

Tragically the same cannot be said for the Circuits most infamous accident, May 1st 1994 is a date that will forever send a shiver down the spine of millions of F1 fans, as do the names "Imola" and "Tamburello", it was that tragic weekend that saw Formula one lose Roland Ratzenberger, and the man who to this day, is arguably the most phenomenal and passionate driver that has ever turned a wheel in anger, the irreplaceable and unforgettable Ayrton Senna.

Major changes were made to the circuit for the 1995 season, and safety in F1 became paramount from that point onward, and as a consequence, there have thankfully been no fatalitites in Formula One since.

Being the closest race to Maranello, Imola is a home Grand Prix of sorts for the Scuderia, and last year the F2002 totally dominated the weekend, with Schumacher and Barrichello starting 1-2 respectively on the grid, Rubens Barrichello set the fastest lap, and Schumacher led Barrichello across the finishing line for a Ferrari 1-2 in front of the adoring Tifosi.

Speaking about the forthcoming race Rubens said “I like Imola. I have put all the bad things connected with it behind me now (Rubens was a close friend of Senna and was badly affected by his death). It is a good racing track, where it is quite difficult to set-up the car. I’ve come to close to winning there in the past and hopefully I will have a good chance this time. Normally, this should be the coolest race of the year so far, so there should be no surprises on the tyre front.”

World Champion Michael Schumacher is anticipating a good race for Ferrari and looking forward to the support of the Tifosi on home turf, "I always wait anxiously for Imola." said Schumacher, "In a way it is my first home race, when we can surely count on the support of our fans. This can only bring out a sense of positive expectancy", said Schumacher. ‘It is clear that we will have to fight all the way, considering that things could have gone better for us recently, but the approach would have remained the same if we had been through a successfulperiod because then we would have felt almost obliged to get a result."

"I really don’t believe that using the F2002 is a disadvantage’, continued Michael. "Reliability is an important factor and so we shouldn’t run even the smallest risk. We will see on Sunday what Imola has in store for us. The track characteristics are very different from those of Interlagos, so we can have more faith in it. At Imola the brakes will be really important."

"I think that McLaren will again perform well; something we expected right from the beginning of the season, but I think that we can also challenge for the win. Our aim is to give our fans something to celebrate, and where better to start than Imola?"

Out of the current driver line-up only four have won at San Marino, 1997 saw Heinz Harald Frentzen take his maiden F1 victory whilst racing alongside Jacques Villeneuve at Williams, David Coulthard had scored a single victory also at Imola in 1998. Ralf Schumacher took the chequered flag in 2001, but the current master of San Marino is Michael Schumacher with victory for Benetton in 1994, and a hat-trick of triumphs for Ferrari in 1999, 2000, and 2002.

A Lap Of Interlagos With Brazil Winner Giancarlo Fisichella
"I start the lap accelerating hard past the pits to the Tamburello Chicane reaching a speed of just over 185 mph (300 kph). Then I brake hard for the left right which I take in 2nd gear at around 75 mph (125 kph).

The original Tamburello is where Ayrton Senna was killed in 1994, it was a fast sweeping left. This is also where Gerhard Berger's Ferrari crashed and caught fire in 1988.

From there I need to accelerate hard down to the Villeneuve Chicane reaching a slightly lower speed of 180 mph (285 kph) before going into this tricky corner. This corner is difficult because the entry is taken while still braking & then the final right-hand part is taken in 3rd gear at about 90 mph (145 kph).

Villeneuve is situated where Roland Ratzenberger was killed during practice for the 1994 GP. Gilles Villeneuve crashed heavily near this spot in 1980.

From there I accelerate quickly before braking hard again for Tosa taken again in 2nd gear at just under 50 mph (80 kph). I like this corner because there is still an opportunity to overtake although it is harder now than it used to be.

Out of Tosa I accelerate up the hill reaching 5th gear and speed of about 175 mph (280kph) before taking Piratella in 4th gear at 110 mph (175 kph). This is a difficult corner as the circuit drops away at the exit. Going down the hill towards Acque Minerali I get up to 165 mph (270 kph) before braking very hard down to the 70 mph (110 kph) 2nd gear corner.

Acque Minerale is where Riccardo Patrese crashed while leading in 1983.

Accelerating out I climb again to the Variante Alta reaching 165 mph (270 kph) before braking down to 2nd gear for this complex of corners, the minimum speed is about 75 mph (125 kph). As I accelerate out of this chicane I achieve the maximum speed, depending on wind conditions, of around 185 mph (300 kph), which is similar to the pit straight. This is just before the two Rivazza corners, which are both taken in 2nd gear, the first one at about 60 mph (100 kph) immediately followed by the 2nd one at about 75 mph (120kph).

The first Rivazza is where Ayrton Senna span off whilst leading the 1989 GP.

There is then a short straight where I get up to 170 mph (275 kph) and this leads to the final very slow chicane, Variante Bassa, before the pits which I take in 2nd gear at around 60 mph (95 kph)."

The approach to Variante Bassa is where Rubens Barrichello crashed heavily during practice for the 1994 GP. It's easy to get the exit wrong too, as Mika Hakkinen did in 1999.

This is another track where teams will be likely to go for medium downforce although the hard braking means stiffer suspension and thus a considerable loss of grip.

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