It was a welcome return to Imola for us - the first race of the European season and the opening round of a triple-header.

Arriving in Imola, there were a few more media activities than usual to start the weekend - as Franco Colapinto made his debut with the team. Piloting the number 43 car, Franco naturally attracted significant media attention on Thursday and throughout the event, and both he and Pierre received a warm reception at the Fan Forum.

It was a welcome return to Imola for us - the first race of the European season and the opening round of a triple-header - and it was great to be back in our Philippe Starck-designed motorhome which serves as a home-from-home for the entire race team in the busy Formula One paddock.

Fast on the new tyre

Pirelli debuted their softest C6 compound tyre at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and both drivers got to sample the new rubber on Friday. Pierre and Franco completed 50 laps each across the two sessions, with Pierre setting the third-fastest time in FP2. While testing new parts and collecting aero data, Pierre was unfortunately unable to avoid a hare that ran out in front of him on the approach to Variante Alta. The resulting front wing damage ended his session prematurely.

Meanwhile, Franco used the day to get up to speed and become more comfortable in the car, working on setup and completing a longer race simulation in the afternoon.

In Qualifying, Pierre made it through to Q3 - again underlining the inherent pace in the A525 - but, as one of the last runners in the session, he was unable to prepare his tyres properly on his out lap for his final run and achieved tenth place.

A weekend of learning

Franco’s first race weekend with the team featured a steep learning curve. Getting familiar with a new car and tyre compound at a challenging track such as Imola is a difficult prospect.

During Qualifying, as a result of a miscommunication, Franco entered the fast lane too early in the pits ahead of the session restarting following a red flag period. As a result of this, he faced a 1-place grid penalty for the race. On his final Q1 run, Franco clipped the grass going through Tamburello which caused him to spin and hit the wall with the front of his car.

On the formation lap the next day, he came on the team radio to praise his mechanics: “Thank you so much for all the hard work last night and in the morning for getting the car back together. Thank you,” he said.

Wrong place, wrong time (?) with the timings

In the race, Pierre made a strong start and was running ninth when he was passed by Charles Leclerc into Turn 9 on lap three. Pierre gave the Ferrari space, ran wide, but unfortunately bounced through the gravel trap, losing five places. Stopping early, on lap nine, the intention was to run a two-stop strategy — but the late Safety Car handed those ahead a free pit stop.

Likewise, Franco didn’t benefit from the VSC, as he had pitted just before it was deployed. A late swap of positions was required, with Pierre dropping behind but on fresher tyres and the two drivers finished P13 and P16. It’s a quick turnaround now, as Formula One heads straight to the iconic streets of Monte Carlo for the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.