Imola
4.909 km of narrow, rolling track through a park beside the river in Imola. It is one of the few anticlockwise circuits in Grand Prix racing, with gravel traps that punish the smallest mistake. Learn how the lap works, then open it in the designer and make your own version.
The track at a glance
The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, known simply as Imola, is in the town of Imola in northern Italy. It is 4.909 km long with 19 turns, runs anticlockwise, and a Grand Prix there is 63 laps. It opened in 1953.
The track winds through a park beside the Santerno river and climbs over a hill in the middle of the lap. It is narrow by modern standards, with gravel traps on the outside of many corners, so mistakes are costly.
It is named after Enzo Ferrari, founder of the Italian car maker, and his son Dino. It hosted the San Marino Grand Prix from 1981 to 2006 and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix between 2020 and 2025.
A lap of Imola, corner by corner
Every corner at Imola has a name. This guide follows eight of them around the lap. Their numbers match the map.
- Tamburello
Once a flat-out left-hander, now a left-right-left chicane. It was changed after the tragic 1994 race weekend.
- Villeneuve
A second chicane on the run to Tosa, named after Gilles Villeneuve.
- Tosa
A slow left-hand hairpin and one of the best places to overtake.
- Piratella
A blind, fast left over the top of a crest.
- Acque Minerali
A downhill right that drops into a dip and climbs out the other side. Named after the nearby mineral springs.
- Variante Alta
A chicane at the top of the hill, taken over high kerbs.
- Rivazza
A pair of downhill left-handers that start the run back to the pits.
- Variante Bassa
A last, quick chicane before the pit straight.
Grand Prix racing at Imola
Imola has been changed many times to make it safer, but much of its character remains.
- 1953The circuit opens.
- 1980Imola hosts the Italian Grand Prix, the only time it has not been held at Monza.
- 1981The first San Marino Grand Prix is held. It runs every year until 2006.
- 1994Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna are killed in accidents on the same weekend. Tamburello and Villeneuve are turned into chicanes.
- 2020Grand Prix racing returns as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and the race lap record of 1:15.484 is set.
- 2025The last Emilia Romagna Grand Prix of its current run is held.
An old-school lap
Imola is a flowing circuit that follows the land. Many corners are linked, so a mistake at one costs time at the next, and the narrow track and gravel traps make overtaking hard. That rewards qualifying and strategy.
For more on how run-off shapes a lap, read gravel traps vs tarmac run-off or why most tracks run clockwise.
Ideas for your remaster
The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:
Make it easier to pass. Overtaking is hard at Imola. Try lengthening a straight or tightening a corner to create a braking zone.
Bring back the old lap. Turn the Tamburello chicane back into a fast curve and see how much quicker the lap gets.
Name the corners. Group and name the turns in the designer, and they will show on your exports and share link.
Finish it properly. Add track width, kerbs, run-off and a pit lane so it reads like a real venue.
When you’re happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Imola circuit?
It is 4.909 km (3.050 miles) long with 19 turns. A Grand Prix there is 63 laps.
Why is Imola called Enzo e Dino Ferrari?
It is named after Enzo Ferrari, founder of the Italian car maker, and his son Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari.
Which way does Imola run?
Anticlockwise, which is unusual. The lap heads through Tamburello and Villeneuve to Tosa, climbs over the hill through Piratella and Acque Minerali, then returns through Rivazza to the pits.
What changed at Imola after 1994?
After the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna, the fast Tamburello and Villeneuve corners were turned into chicanes, and other safety work followed.
Is the remastered Imola an exact copy?
It is a close trace of the centreline using 56 editable points, within a few metres of the real layout. Track width, kerbs, run-off and the pit lane are left for you to design.
Layout traced from the open circuit data in bacinger/f1-circuits (MIT licence). Circuit facts: Wikipedia. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.