Returning to Imola “Special and also a responsibility” – Ferrari’s Alessandra Naldi

The first European round of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship see’s Scuderia Ferrari returning home, for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the world famous Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

The start of the season has been near-perfection for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc leading the championship after winning two of the three opening rounds of the season. Carlos Sainz Jr has also started the season excellently, and is now celebrating his two-year contract extension with the team which was announced in the build-up to this weekend.

A win for Ferrari in their back garden will go down as one of the most emotional victories in the team’s history, after all the ups and downs they’ve experienced over recent years. Ferrari’s Head of Corporate and Sports Events, Alessandra Naldi, explained the emotional connection between Imola and Ferrari.

“Because the red thread that links Imola and Maranello runs the length of Emilia-Romagna, a region in which cars are a religion. Ferrari was born here in a part of the world where the most beautiful cars are made. So the link between Imola and the Maranello marque is an emotional one. The depth of support it gets here is the essence of the feelings of those who grew up in the area and those who come here from all over the world to share the energy, the cheering and the passion.

“Although it’s a real race track, with changes of gradient and corners that provide the fans with thrills and excitement, it actually winds its way in between greenery and houses on the edge of town, which means their balconies become high-end viewing areas from which to watch the show and they are packed out during all the sessions.

“Then there’s the noise that spreads through the streets of Imola. I was born and raised in this small town and I can remember from an early age how much the sound of the cars echoing around it made me shiver. The spectators here are very demanding and passionate: they are impatient to see the Ferraris and the other cars racing on such a demanding track.”

Despite this being the third race at Imola since it’s return to the sport, it will be the first that fans have been allowed to attend. It would come as no surprise that the circuit will be engulfed by a sea of red this weekend, or as Naldi puts it “a unique show”.

“Racing at Imola once again with our fans there to support us will be like having friends round at home after a long absence. We are at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit, so it’s special and also a responsibility. I am expecting a unique show and more than a race, the Imola GP will be almost a ritual, beautiful and colourful with tens of thousands of fans. I was born in Imola and I’d say you can feel a very powerful energy in the air.

“The enthusiasm and passion are such that, in the past, it has often led to the fans pouring onto the track and then there’s the roar of the crowd at Rivazza, loud enough to be heard above the noise of the engines. Not far from there is the house where I grew up and where my parents still live. So I have experienced this show since I was a little kid and rediscovering it will be unbelievably exciting!”