Just one note: I didn't make this video to play down the impact of Roland Ratzenberger's and Ayrton Senna's fatal accidents. The calling for improving safety in Formula 1 was completely justifiable back then. Nevertheless, I personally feel it also caused a lot of hysteria in F1 community. And the Imola circuit fell a victim to that. Changes to Tamburello and Villeneuve corners removed the only real place for overtaking.
I wonder if they could bring back these corners as an alternative route? With modern safety standards it shouldn't be a problem? It would definitely bring back the charme and excitement of Imola
I agree. The track suffered the consequences. With today’s safety measures the original configuration would produce great racing in any form of racing, overtake and speed. The original configuration should be an option at Tamburello and Villenueve for other forms of races instead of being gravel traps.
@@lucienlinhart1695no the track lay-out stay like it is now I live next to Spa and the old Radion/aurouge was the most impressive corner in the world.the last 2/3 years they bring many changes under pressure of the FIA and the whole caracter is gone Just like Imola.saftey is going a bit to far
I appreciate this video. It's a completely different racing experience there. Very true that it eliminated the only real overtaking on the circuit. Tragic events that had nothing to do with the layout, but the layout paid the price and so did us fans. They should have had that wall lined with tyres/tech pro type barrier they use now.
Still is. Current layout is much better than what they used for the 10 or so years after 1994 though. Restored the original long straight from Rivatza up to Tamburello like it was in the 50s-70s. Track still retained its character. They shortened the DRS zone quite a bit this year compared to 20-23, teams complained DRS was too powerful and they overdid it. They'll likely restore the longer DRS next year or eliminate the Villneuve chicane which has been debated recently.
Imola has local geographic limitations. The only way to make it safer was to add chicanes to lower the speeds. The track is narrow and has no flow. Local georgraphy makes it impossible to fix. Remove it from the calandar and use the wonderful track near Algarve Portugal, which the FIA has approval.
@@ronmurray7349 Yes, I'm aware of the river that flows a bit beyond that part of the circuit -- But that doesn't make my statement any less true, with all due respect. Someone had to pay for that horrible weekend -- and it was the circuit itself -- and us fans, that remember the hairy-chested beast it used to be.
this track has no business hosting F1 races since 1995. The 95 to 06 version is even worse than the current one. Schumacher was 3 secs a lap faster than Alonso late in the 05 race and couldn't find a way past because there was not a single straight long enough for a non-drs pass.
The river which runs the beside 50% of the track limits the run-off. Today's cars would lap 15 seconds faster on the old 1994 track. Tech has passed Imola by. Move the race to the new Algarve track in Portugal. (2021 GP) FIA approved and 2 DRS zones.
With today's safety, Tamburello and Villeneuve corners could exist on its original form without the need of moving the walls further back. A SAFER Barrier could get the job done. However, the meaning of those corners after the 94' GP. Its crash history, especially in Tamburello with Piquet never fully recovering after crashing in 87', Berger almost died on a fire in 89', Alboreto got lucky of coming out unscratched after crashing at high speed on 91'. It is not worthy.
Unfortunately the Santerno River winds around the track limiting the property and any possibility of increasing run-off. Imola is narrow, with no long strraights. Makes for boring racing.
Wow, now I can remember, watching this as a boy. They hunt down all the way and overtake at the end. Here you see real driving. What a shame, that this concrete wall has killed Senna and also the layout of Imola.
Given they have corners this fast at Jedda with walls on either side why can't they put Tamburello back to the way it was. We might see a few overtakes
Because of the physical restrictions you point out, solutions to Tamburello were limited. But it is important to recognise this corner had a reputation; both Piquet and Berger had serious accidents here, in Piquet's case, life-changing (though he hid it at the time). It was appropriate that they slowed it down, even if the full throttle pull from the last corner all the way to Tosa was pretty wonderful.
They said there was nothing to be done for safety because tamberello has a river behind it so the wall can't be moved back, but there was still a scrappy bit of tarmac that could've been a gravel trap and the concrete wall could've had tyres in front of it... Either of these things could've saved Senna's life. Together,definitely
Maybe maybe not, let's not forget the cause of Senna's death was a suspension part piercing his helmet, gravel traps back in the day were to slow cars down from heavy impact, tyre walls yes agreed, but no tyre tethers so the out some could of still been the same, just a freak accident unfortunately
If the steering column hadn’t failed he also wouldn’t have died. If the suspension rod hadn’t pierced his helmet he wouldn’t have died. So better engineering could’ve have prevented it as well as not having extremely bad luck.
By modern F1 safety and car performance standards restoring Tamburello and Villneuve wouldn't be crazy, but the current layout with straight starting after rivatza (As it was 50+ years ago) clawed back a good amount of speed lost compared to the 95-06 config, which was the worst config Imola ever had. Cars are a lot bigger now but you don't have to have a ton of overtakes to appreciate the racing, much like how old school F1 races used to be fighting for many laps often not ending up in an overtake. We had very good races here in 20/21/22. The idiots at the FIA shortened the DRS this year cause teams complained it was too powerful. They'll likely restore the full DRS again next year. There's also been rumors of possibly removing Villneuve chicane, which would essentially add a second DRS/long curving straight between the fast Tamburello sweeper to the Tossa hairpin. Beautiful classic circuit either way with breathtaking scenery.
The 50s had all the best tracks. I would take their layouts over almost all the modern layouts. :-) I get that it needed to be done for safety but if they can run tracks like Jeddah surely that's no longer an argument.
Instead of changing the tracks constantly, they should look at the surroundings and the cars.. But it is so easy to add a chicane, and cheaper, so the victim is both drivers and spectators
I don't regret the loss of the Tamburello, as it was just a flat out corner with only one racing line and with no potential to make it safe because of the river. However, i do regret the loss of the Villeneuve corner, which was very a interesting feature in the run up to Tosa with multiple possible racing lines ...
You’re forgetting that Indycar races on ovals at higher speeds than were being taken through Tamburello. There’s no need for extra runoff with a SAFER barrier
@@chipattack912 True, but i see a safer barrier more as a possible solution for the Villeneuve corner. Personally i didn't like the old layout with the 2 chicanes between Rivazza and the old pit lane. I think the new 'kinky' straight between Rivazza and the Tamburello chicane is more exciting than the old layout of that section...
I dont know why Michael Schumacher had gulit pushing Senna so hard when Safety Car pulled off, 3:40 Hill was pushing him too. I guess its just survivors gulit
Don't need overtakes for it not to be boring. Max was on the edge with all those gravel traps to hold off Lando. Was incredible showing of driver skill by both. Besides, last 3 races there had many more overtakes but teams complained DRS was too powerful so they shortened the zone this year. They'll undo that change next year. If you think Imola weekend was boring, just wait for Monaco.
If you look at Senna's pole time in 1994, you quickly see that it is about 7 seconds slower than Verstappen this year. If todays cars ran on the 1994 layout they would be perhaps 15 seconds or more faster than Senna, which would be insanely dangerous. The solution ? Remove Imola from the roster and replace it with the modern FIA approved track near Algarve, Portugal. (Watch the 2021 GP). You are also guaranteed perfect weather, and a great spring holiday getaway for fans across Europe at the numerous hotels in the region.
No thanks. Not that Portimao isn’t a nice circuit but there are far worse tracks than Imola for it to replace, such as one of the terrible American or Middle East tracks. Comparing times from 2024 to 1994 is also irrelevant without taking into account how much safer current cars are as well as the track differences. While they added two chicanes at Tamburello and Villeneuve they also removed the set of turns before the pits.
![[4K] F1 1962 Monaco Grand Prix (Mediterranean Holiday) 70mm Movie [REMASTER AUDIO/VIDEO UHD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2r3gVcwoeyw/mqdefault.jpg)
Just one note: I didn't make this video to play down the impact of Roland Ratzenberger's and Ayrton Senna's fatal accidents. The calling for improving safety in Formula 1 was completely justifiable back then. Nevertheless, I personally feel it also caused a lot of hysteria in F1 community. And the Imola circuit fell a victim to that. Changes to Tamburello and Villeneuve corners removed the only real place for overtaking.
Indeed & I simply find this video a nice tribute to the original Tamburello & Villeneuve configurations.
I wonder if they could bring back these corners as an alternative route? With modern safety standards it shouldn't be a problem? It would definitely bring back the charme and excitement of Imola
I agree. The track suffered the consequences. With today’s safety measures the original configuration would produce great racing in any form of racing, overtake and speed. The original configuration should be an option at Tamburello and Villenueve for other forms of races instead of being gravel traps.
@@lucienlinhart1695no the track lay-out stay like it is now
I live next to Spa and the old Radion/aurouge was the most impressive corner in the world.the last 2/3 years they bring many changes under pressure of the FIA and the whole caracter is gone Just like Imola.saftey is going a bit to far
I appreciate this video. It's a completely different racing experience there. Very true that it eliminated the only real overtaking on the circuit. Tragic events that had nothing to do with the layout, but the layout paid the price and so did us fans. They should have had that wall lined with tyres/tech pro type barrier they use now.
Imola back then was so beautiful… astonishing
Still is. Current layout is much better than what they used for the 10 or so years after 1994 though. Restored the original long straight from Rivatza up to Tamburello like it was in the 50s-70s. Track still retained its character. They shortened the DRS zone quite a bit this year compared to 20-23, teams complained DRS was too powerful and they overdid it. They'll likely restore the longer DRS next year or eliminate the Villneuve chicane which has been debated recently.
@@WiLDCATZ I seriously doubt if either chicanes will be removed
Agreed! The days when passing was still possible at Imola.
They tore the heart out of this circuit.
Imola has local geographic limitations. The only way to make it safer was to add chicanes to lower the speeds. The track is narrow and has no flow. Local georgraphy makes it impossible to fix. Remove it from the calandar and use the wonderful track near Algarve Portugal, which the FIA has approval.
@@ronmurray7349 Yes, I'm aware of the river that flows a bit beyond that part of the circuit -- But that doesn't make my statement any less true, with all due respect.
Someone had to pay for that horrible weekend -- and it was the circuit itself -- and us fans, that remember the hairy-chested beast it used to be.
this track has no business hosting F1 races since 1995. The 95 to 06 version is even worse than the current one.
Schumacher was 3 secs a lap faster than Alonso late in the 05 race and couldn't find a way past because there was not a single straight long enough for a non-drs pass.
With how safe the cars are nowadays, I hope they’ll eventually revert back to this layout. Unfortunately I doubt it will happen.
they could at least remove the tamburello chicane. there's no point nowdays for that chicane.
They can't. The barrier is still there and you can't move it back. @@user-rz2rr9dh1q
The river which runs the beside 50% of the track limits the run-off. Today's cars would lap 15 seconds faster on the old 1994 track. Tech has passed Imola by. Move the race to the new Algarve track in Portugal. (2021 GP) FIA approved and 2 DRS zones.
@@ronmurray7349 How much run off does Jeddah have.
@@ronmurray7349you realize that SAFER barriers used in Indycar and Nascar would completely solve any safety issue due to a lack of runoff?
Those 12 minutes were more exciting than a full year of current F1 Racing
Have you been watching ?
Watching cars thunder through Tamburello and own to Tosa on the first lap in the 80s and 90s was a thrilling experience.
With today's safety, Tamburello and Villeneuve corners could exist on its original form without the need of moving the walls further back. A SAFER Barrier could get the job done. However, the meaning of those corners after the 94' GP. Its crash history, especially in Tamburello with Piquet never fully recovering after crashing in 87', Berger almost died on a fire in 89', Alboreto got lucky of coming out unscratched after crashing at high speed on 91'. It is not worthy.
Unfortunately the Santerno River winds around the track limiting the property and any possibility of increasing run-off. Imola is narrow, with no long strraights. Makes for boring racing.
@@ronmurray7349 F1 doesn't care about runoff. Look at Jeddah Singapore Vegas and Monaco. Old imola is much safer than jeddah
Wow, now I can remember, watching this as a boy. They hunt down all the way and overtake at the end. Here you see real driving. What a shame, that this concrete wall has killed Senna and also the layout of Imola.
Given they have corners this fast at Jedda with walls on either side why can't they put Tamburello back to the way it was. We might see a few overtakes
Completely feasible if the wall was lined with SAFER barriers like any oval track in Indycar and Nascar
Because of the physical restrictions you point out, solutions to Tamburello were limited. But it is important to recognise this corner had a reputation; both Piquet and Berger had serious accidents here, in Piquet's case, life-changing (though he hid it at the time). It was appropriate that they slowed it down, even if the full throttle pull from the last corner all the way to Tosa was pretty wonderful.
Time to put it back.
Should of kept the corner but improve barrier safety.
Used to be my favorite spring race as it was by my birthday. Then I turned 21.
They said there was nothing to be done for safety because tamberello has a river behind it so the wall can't be moved back, but there was still a scrappy bit of tarmac that could've been a gravel trap and the concrete wall could've had tyres in front of it...
Either of these things could've saved Senna's life.
Together,definitely
Maybe maybe not, let's not forget the cause of Senna's death was a suspension part piercing his helmet, gravel traps back in the day were to slow cars down from heavy impact, tyre walls yes agreed, but no tyre tethers so the out some could of still been the same, just a freak accident unfortunately
gravel trap would not be so effective back them, the car would bouce like a rock in the river and go straight to the wall
If the steering column hadn’t failed he also wouldn’t have died. If the suspension rod hadn’t pierced his helmet he wouldn’t have died. So better engineering could’ve have prevented it as well as not having extremely bad luck.
Tanto de SENNA como de RATZEMBERGER 😢😢😢😢
SAFER barriers would fix this issue nowadays.
By modern F1 safety and car performance standards restoring Tamburello and Villneuve wouldn't be crazy, but the current layout with straight starting after rivatza (As it was 50+ years ago) clawed back a good amount of speed lost compared to the 95-06 config, which was the worst config Imola ever had. Cars are a lot bigger now but you don't have to have a ton of overtakes to appreciate the racing, much like how old school F1 races used to be fighting for many laps often not ending up in an overtake. We had very good races here in 20/21/22. The idiots at the FIA shortened the DRS this year cause teams complained it was too powerful. They'll likely restore the full DRS again next year. There's also been rumors of possibly removing Villneuve chicane, which would essentially add a second DRS/long curving straight between the fast Tamburello sweeper to the Tossa hairpin. Beautiful classic circuit either way with breathtaking scenery.
The 50s had all the best tracks. I would take their layouts over almost all the modern layouts. :-) I get that it needed to be done for safety but if they can run tracks like Jeddah surely that's no longer an argument.
Bring this layout back. Safety isn't an issue anymore. Get rid of the slot car track.
Great Imola...🏁
Deveriam retornar com as antigas curvas Tamburello e Villeneuve, o restante da pista poderiam manter como está.
Instead of changing the tracks constantly, they should look at the surroundings and the cars..
But it is so easy to add a chicane, and cheaper, so the victim is both drivers and spectators
Gorgeous layout but i guess its not worth people dying for
Chris Economaki !!!!!
This was IMOLA circuit. Not the boring track of today where you can't overtake ! Monaco is Monaco and is enough !
Yeah this would be a completely different race should it have stayed the same. Was awesome
Dat sound 0:04 👌
In the words of Jeremy Clarkson it makes me sexually excited
Back when F1 was actually relevant, none of the current nonsense of using engines over and over...
改めて見てもホームストレートからトサまで全開の割にエスケープゾーンが狭すぎる。
Track was getting bad by 93 the bumps were brutal, 94 wasn’t much better with the patch jobs in critical areas
I don't regret the loss of the Tamburello, as it was just a flat out corner with only one racing line and with no potential to make it safe because of the river. However, i do regret the loss of the Villeneuve corner, which was very a interesting feature in the run up to Tosa with multiple possible racing lines ...
You’re forgetting that Indycar races on ovals at higher speeds than were being taken through Tamburello. There’s no need for extra runoff with a SAFER barrier
@@chipattack912 True, but i see a safer barrier more as a possible solution for the Villeneuve corner. Personally i didn't like the old layout with the 2 chicanes between Rivazza and the old pit lane. I think the new 'kinky' straight between Rivazza and the Tamburello chicane is more exciting than the old layout of that section...
Mansell had skillz how the hell did he recover that spin ?
Tamburela is scary enough when it's how scary was it in the wet it's not the with the chicane as you enter but I do realise why it's put there
A great race track but they had to change it
4:57 wow those conditions would separate the men from the boys - these days they would bring out the bloody 'safety' car and ruin it
I dont know why Michael Schumacher had gulit pushing Senna so hard when Safety Car pulled off, 3:40 Hill was pushing him too. I guess its just survivors gulit
8:51👍
Hier hatte Senna noch das richtige Chassis aber den verkehrten Motor
Concrete barrier 😢
It was an irresponsible crime to do two resurfacings at Tamburello in 94.
Here after 24 F1 race…boring…and the fastest car finished second.
Don't need overtakes for it not to be boring. Max was on the edge with all those gravel traps to hold off Lando. Was incredible showing of driver skill by both. Besides, last 3 races there had many more overtakes but teams complained DRS was too powerful so they shortened the zone this year. They'll undo that change next year. If you think Imola weekend was boring, just wait for Monaco.
ungrateful
@@WiLDCATZ more DRS will help. Original Imola was known for passes using the slip stream and tow.
@@WiLDCATZThank goodness the championship playoff finals are on the same weekend as Monaco
If you look at Senna's pole time in 1994, you quickly see that it is about 7 seconds slower than Verstappen this year. If todays cars ran on the 1994 layout they would be perhaps 15 seconds or more faster than Senna, which would be insanely dangerous. The solution ? Remove Imola from the roster and replace it with the modern FIA approved track near Algarve, Portugal. (Watch the 2021 GP). You are also guaranteed perfect weather, and a great spring holiday getaway for fans across Europe at the numerous hotels in the region.
Are You portuguese?
No thanks. Not that Portimao isn’t a nice circuit but there are far worse tracks than Imola for it to replace, such as one of the terrible American or Middle East tracks. Comparing times from 2024 to 1994 is also irrelevant without taking into account how much safer current cars are as well as the track differences. While they added two chicanes at Tamburello and Villeneuve they also removed the set of turns before the pits.
@@gianluca270 lol, no, jut like tyracks where cars can overtake each other.