One week before Max Verstappen’s 17th birthday and ten days before his record-shattering first appearance in a Formula 1 weekend in Suzuka in 2014, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko was asked which grand prix driver, former or present, the exceptional young prospect could be compared to.
“Most likely Ayrton Senna,” Marko replied. “We expect him to be competitive from the first race. We are not playing the lottery – we know what we are doing. And success proves us right.”
Less than a decade after speaking those words, Verstappen’s success had indeed proven Marko right. Matching Senna in championship titles and surpassing him for race victories, Verstappen has already cemented his place alongside the mythical Brazilian in the pantheon of the sport’s greats.
Thirty years on from the weekend in which Senna’s legendary F1 career and Roland Ratzenberger’s fledgling one both came to their sudden, brutal ends, Verstappen sat where Senna had, on pole position at the beloved Imola circuit, preparing for a challenging afternoon of trying to keep formidable opposition behind him for the race to come.
Verstappen said he had not expected to be on pole, and this time he seemed to have good reason. But thanks to an alliance of convenience with Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, he had drafted he way to the coveted top spot ahead of the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Norris would sit alongside him on the front row, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr moved up by virtue of a penalty for Piastri. The Ferrari pair were eager to provide the thousands of scarlet-clad Ferrari fans in the stands with a worthy return on their unwavering support.
Typically before the start of a grand prix, the question of what strategy to employ for the race ahead is a complex and difficult one. Not at Imola. The top ten starters all left the grid for the formation lap on medium compound tyres, suggesting that they would be taking the conventional one-stop strategy approach, with Sergio Perez out of position in 11th the first to opt for hards. It also meant that Norris would have no extra advantage to best the world champion on the run to the first part of Tamburello – something he had recognised on Saturday could ultimately decide the race.
Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel circulated before the race began in a McLaren once raced by Senna. The Imola crowd may ordinarily reserve its cheers for Ferrari, but the fans showed full…
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