Imola - Race (from a viewers perspective)

The first Italian Grand Prix of the year both defied and confirmed expectations. While the winner was, once again, Max Verstappen, this time the victory did not come as easy as he would have like it to. After most cars made their pit stop, it seemed that another Red Bull victory would be easily secured as Verstappen found himself with a lead of over 5 seconds. The tide turned some time later when Norris' super driving and undeniably fast car helped him make up the difference. He finished the race less than a second behind the leader and later claimed that had there been a few more laps left, he would have been able to catch and overtake. 

The race was also not without its issues. Alex Albon saw troubles after his first pit stop. Having driven out from the pit lane, he quickly reported that his tire wasn't on properly. He had to drive one, painfully slow lap and return to the pit for the tyre to be fixed. The Williams' driver later retired the car. Alonso, who qualified 19th, decided to start from the pit lane to allow for some set up changes in his car. The weekend was entirely challenging for him as he found himself at the bottom of the pack and with his brakes temporarily on fire. He retired his car at the latter stages of the day. 

The Ferraris, heavily fuelled by the support of the Tifosi found themselves having a rather good day on track. Leclerc began the race in third and kept the position throughout it. For a moment it seemed he might challenge Norris for second but a slight mistake made him drop away from the Brit. Sainz spent his race chasing Piastri for 4th but did not manage to catch him, finishing the day at P5. 

And while usually my description of the weekend would end after relating the events, I was lucky enough to attend the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in person. I sat at Prato Tosa, surrounded by thousands of Tifosi, whose excitement was palpable throughout all three days. The experience would have been enjoyable regardless, but their unwavering support only made it that much better. Even if I looked away for a split second, I always knew when a Ferrari was passing by us, as it was always accompanied by cheers and a wave of applause. 

The fans hoped to see Ferrari take their second win of the year but they were still happy to have Charles Leclerc, their "Italian" pride and joy, finish the day on the podium. But they did not cheer only for the drivers of their beloved team (although the excitement reserved for Ferrari was incomparable to that given to anyone else). Lewis Hamilton, soon to become a part of their family, was quite popular and towards the end of the race, McLaren's Lando Norris could hear cheers coming from at least some of the scarlet fans. Not all of them of course, some hold on tightly to the rivalry shared between McLaren and Ferrari.

But in the sea of red everyone, be it a fan of Red Bull, Mercedes, or any other team, found themselves swept up in the passion of the Tifosi. How could they not? 

Order of the grid

1. Max Verstappen 

2. Lando Norris 

3. Charles Leclerc

4. Oscar Piastri

5. Carlos Sainz

6. Lewis Hamilton

7. George Russel 

8. Sergio Perez

9. Lance Stroll

10. Yuki Tsunoda

11. Nico Hulkenberg

12. Kevin Magnussen

13. Daniel Ricciardo

14. Esteban Ocon 

15. Zhou Guanyu

16. Pierre Gasly

17. Logan Sargeant

18. Valtteri Bottas

19. Fernando Alonso

DNF Alex Albon