Visa RB expects tricky kerbs to make a difference in Imola

Visa Cash RB team's racing director Alan Parmane expects the cars that can handle high kerb well to excel on the old-school layout of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

Visa RB racing director Alan Permane laid down clear plans for the opening part of the weekend which aims to collects as much data as possible after two sprint weekends. The Frenchman has set two goals for Friday to complete with the assesment of Pirelli's aggressive tyre selection being one of the task. Moreover, Permane also thinks that it will be crucial to set the cars up in a way that they can handle the high and punishing kerbs of the Imola track which will be crucial for lap time.

“This weekend sees the start of the European season for Formula One and it’s a special race for Visa Cash App RB as the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola is only 15km from our base in Faenza. It’s very much our home race and we will have the pleasure of seeing a lot of our factory staff in the grandstands over the weekend.

"The circuit features very high-speed changes of direction, plenty of elevation change and some tricky kerbs to master. A compromise between a stiff car for the high speed and some compliance to ride the kerbs is required. Pirelli are bringing their softest tyres in the range which is one step softer than has been used here in the past. We will be looking to maximise mileage with both drivers on Friday to optimise qualifying and race performance.”

Having avhieved a sensation fourth-placed finish in Miami's sprint race, Daniel Ricciardo went on to struggle for one-lap pace in the main qualifying session. It meant that he failed to score points in the race despite his encouraging pace. The Australian now hopes to deliver imressive results in Imola that is just a few miles away from the team's Faenza factory.

“Obviously, it's a home week for the team, so the week is a little busier but it's good; good to get to the factory, see the team, and see how everything's progressing. We are always travelling around the world and don’t have much time to meet all the employees, so when we do, it’s nice to give a few hugs to the team, a bit of love, and share it around. We obviously get a lot of information about how things are going, but to go there and see it first-hand is always nice.

“It’s the first European race of the year. It's a lot of familiarity to us, we get back to the Energy Station and the paddock just has that familiar environment again. There are some great tracks in Europe, so the first part of the season is fun, we do enjoy going back to some of these classics and I’m excited for the next kind of round of races to be mostly European-based, starting with Imola. The circuit is fun and challenging, really fast and quite narrow, really high-speed chicanes and a qualifying lap around there is so much fun. It's really on the edge with some undulations in the chicane where you kind of really smash the kerbs, so it does create a tricky race, making qualifying importan

"Overtaking, although possible, is trickier around more of this kind of old school circuit. It can create a difficult environment when you're trying to be aggressive and overtake around there, but this is a challenge that we all face and try to enjoy. All of us haven't raced there for a couple of years now, so it's going to be good. I really loved my first time there in 2020; it was just a really enjoyable circuit to drive and a really good experience so, I'm excited to go back.”

Visa RB driver Yuki Tsunoda is looking forward to his team’s home race. The Japanese driver will spend the weekend in his own flat that is located just between the team's Faenza factory and the Imola track.

"Imola up next! I’m very excited and it’s one of the tracks I drove quite a lot in the past," started Tsunoda. "It’s another home race, my second home race. Unfortunately, we couldn’t race there last year because of the flooding, so I’m very excited to race here and see the Emilia-Romagna fans cheering, especially after what happened not long ago. The flood had a massive impact, there was mud everywhere and there are people that have lost everything: their house with everything inside; their belongings and memories, photos.

"It's pretty incredible how the whole city and whole region of Emilia-Romagna recovered right after, how people worked together to at least clear the roads so that you can travel around. It was impressive to see how the people were helping each other. People who were not affected just went around town with shovels and baskets asking if they could help people they didn’t even know. My house was not affected, but I couldn’t just stand still and look at the others helping, so I took the shovel and went to the city centre, which was massively affected, and started to clean the streets.

Speaking of last year's disastrous weather conditions that led to the cancellation of the Imola race, Tsunoda said: “The flood will always be remembered and how the town came back stronger. The region recovered much faster than I thought and is now looking ahead. Imola is back this year, 15 km away from my house. It’s weird as it’s exactly the same routine as how I always spend time in Faenza. It seems a normal day, having breakfast I make myself, with some yoghurt and fruits and my cappuccino from my coffee machine.

"I just have to travel 20 minutes and I’m at the track wearing my racing suit to jump in the car. In the evening, I go home and have a normal dinner. But it’s actually a race week. The track itself, I really like it. It’s very technical, lots of medium-high speed corners and high-speed chicanes so it’s a bit like Suzuka but slightly narrower.

"It’s always enjoyable to drive and I have a lot of good memories there. I’m excited to go back and see especially our VCARB grandstand filled with the people who work so hard back in the factory so I can drive a fast car. We’re finally able to drive in front of factory people alongside those who support us, and I hope the team can achieve a good result in front of them!”