Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari race in Italy, Antonelli’s school trip and Haas’ new digs

Dubai: Formula 1 is seldom simple — as a sport and as a business.

Take the name of the upcoming race, for example. It could’ve been simpler (or shorter), like the “Imola Grand Prix”. But as with all things in business, the loooong name is thanks to those footing the bill for title rights — the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Imola marks the start of the “European leg” of the 2025 Formula 1 calendar. After racing across three continents in the first six rounds, Formula 1 now embraces the European summer, which will host ten of the next races — with the one odd jump across the Atlantic in June to race in Canada.

While Imola has hosted 32 Formula 1 races, the 2025 edition could be its last. With only 24 slots on the calendar, Formula 1 can afford Italy just one race — and that’s already reserved for Monza. Passion and emotion from the Italian motorsport faithful have slowly been edged out by the top dollars new venues are willing to pay, even if they struggle to fill the stands.

In Miami, the “Lego F1 car” stole the spotlight. In Imola, attention shifts to the technical upgrades teams will bring to go faster. But my focus is elsewhere — on the teams’ stunning motorhomes, which are engineering marvels in their own right.

At the European races, teams have their “home away from home”, hosting personnel, guests, drivers, sponsors and media through the weekend. These motorhomes are actually fleets of trucks that unfold at each venue to transform into multi-storey offices and hospitality centres. The reigning World Champions McLaren, for instance, use over 15 trucks to construct theirs.

At Imola, American team Haas will debut a brand-new motorhome. Just a few years ago, Haas had downsized their pit wall staff from eight to six to save costs. The introduction of this new motorhome — a lavish expense that doesn’t make the car any faster — signals that the team’s fortunes may finally be turning.

Mercedes’ 18-year-old prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a Bologna native, and Imola is his home race. On Thursday, Antonelli organised a “school trip” for his classmates and teachers, taking them behind the scenes in Formula 1.

Despite a steady start to his F1 career, Antonelli continues his education alongside racing — at his mother’s insistence!

The loudest cheers at Imola will be reserved for Ferrari — the Italian marquee team. Not only is it a home race, the track is officially named “Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari”, after the team’s founder and his son.

It also marks Lewis Hamilton’s first race in Italy as a Ferrari driver. While the team and their legions of fans hope he’s battling at the front, the reality so far has been different. In the early days of his Ferrari career, Hamilton has been racing more against Williams — fifth in the Constructors’ standings with around a third of Ferrari’s points — than against the front-runners Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren.

— Kunal Shah is an FIA-accredited Formula 1 journalist & a TV expert. He is the former Head of Marketing, Sponsorship & junior driver programme at the Force India F1 team.