SLICKS MAG Issue 01 Feature: “Yesterday, today, tomorrow! Forza Ferrari, always.”
Imola atmosphere - Shot on Kodak Gold 200
There was one moment at Imola that, for me, encapsulated why places like this are so iconic. Q2 in qualifying at the 2025 Emilia Romagna GP. It was far from one of Ferrari’s finest moments to say the least. Hamilton and Leclerc both knocked out before the final part of qualifying, right at the end, in Ferrari’s home race, at a track literally named after them.
That’s when I truly recognised just how much Ferrari means to its fans. A large proportion of the crowd at Rivazza began to leave before Q3 had even begun. For them, that was it, they’d come to see two cars: the cars in red. Because for so many fans in Italy, that’s all that matters. Those words written onto the Imola track alongside countless others echoed exactly that sentiment. “Yesterday, today, tomorrow! Forza Ferrari, always” (“Ieri, oggi, domani! Sempre. Forza Ferrari”).
It wasn’t a proud moment for Ferrari fans, but in a strange way, it captured the essence of Imola. There are only a couple of circuits on the calendar where something like that could happen. Where passion for one team or driver outweighs everything else.
Before I went to Imola, I thought like many others, yes, of course Imola is cool and iconic, though sadly also remembered for its tragic history, but is it really suitable for modern Formula 1? It’s the same question we ask about most classic circuits. The truth is, you don’t fully appreciate them until you’re fortunate enough to experience it. Once you are, it becomes painfully clear how sad it is to see them replaced by soulless street tracks filled with hospitality suites and celebrities that probably don’t even know what DRS is.
Imola is woven into the fabric of its town. Arriving at the station, it’s about a 20-minute walk down one long road right through the heart of the atmospheric piazza straight into the circuit. Classic Italian streets lined with flags of Italy and Ferrari, tributes to the great Ayrton Senna, and just a great vibe. The town feels very much like it is part of the circuit, not just the circuit being part of the town. My only regret from this trip is that I wish I had captured some photos of the town on my camera to show what this truly feels like.
The thing is if you want to see the best racing in motorsport, the reality is Formula 1 never has and probably never will provide that. But places such as Imola are more than that. I also don’t think I’m biased in saying that Imola actually produced some of the best racing we’ve seen this season. This just shows that good racing at these iconic tracks is possible, and the problem goes far beyond these circuits simply being too narrow. But that’s a whole different discussion, probably too long to fit into this entire magazine.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not actually completely opposed to street tracks, I’ll admit seeing Formula 1 cars flying down the Vegas Strip is actually pretty incredible, and it actually produces good racing. Just like, if Formula 1 decided to host a night race in Tokyo, I would be one of the first to think - “that would be pretty awesome!”.
But, the reality is tracks like Imola, Spa, Zandvoort, Silverstone, Monza provide something that the likes of Miami, Vegas or Madrid just never will - pure passion and soul for racing. They have character and you really feel something emotionally when you’re there. It feels like Formula 1 and the cars really sound alive on these tracks. They are the essence of this sport and what makes it special and in my view, with each one of these tracks we lose, we lose a little bit of the soul of Formula 1.
I really hope that 2025 is not the last we see of Imola in Formula 1, but at least for the foreseeable future it sadly looks like it is, so I feel very grateful to have been able to experience this in person.
“Yesterday, today, tomorrow — Forza Ferrari, always.”