Biggest Questions For Each Team at Imola

Alpine: Can they Build Off Their First Points?

For weeks, Alpine has looked like the slowest team on the grid. Neither driver escaped Q1 until Ocon did in Australia, with Gasly taking until China to make it into Q2. Then, suddenly, Alpine pops off P10 and P12 finishes, securing their first point of 2024 as a team. I was initially stunned by the result. I mean, we all thought it would take a miracle for Ocon to drag that tractor into the top 10. So, is this a one-time result, or is there something bigger here?

Aston Martin: Will Lance Stroll Re-sign?

Let's be real here. There aren't many questions to ask Aston Martin that haven't been answered. Yes, Fernando Alonso is still elite; Lance Stroll is not a good racer; and no, the car will not get better anytime soon. So, I think the current situation at Aston warrants a look further forward, and I ask the most pressing question for the upcoming season: who will sit in the second seat in 2025? Alonso was extended earlier this year, securing his spot in the lead Aston seat. However, it has not yet been confirmed that Stroll will be returning to the team. Will Stroll fill the second spot next year, or will he be cut loose?

Ferrari: Will They Snag Adrian Newey?

In all of the mess of driver transfer rumors swirling around the paddock right now, one of the biggest names present in the rumors isn't a driver at all. It's Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing's designer and chief engineer whose cars have won 13 Constructors' Championships over his years in Formula One. Newey announced that he will leave Red Bull during the first quarter of the 2025 season, sparking intrigue about where he will land for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. Ferrari made a run at Newey in 2014, reportedly offering £20 million in an attempt to pull the engineer away from Red Bull. Will they secure Newey's services a decade later?

Haas: Will K-Mag Earn a Race Ban This Weekend?

A few months ago, I came across a video by a YouTuber named Frosti. Like many, Frosti had become frustrated with the dominance of Max Verstappen, who won seemingly every weekend during 2023. He decided to take this into his own hands in the F1 23 video game, by driving an AlphaTauri head-on into Verstappen in every race. That's what watching Kevin Magnussen is like this season, except K-Mag is driving in a Haas, and his prey of choice has been Williams rather than Red Bull. The great "Haas-ter plan," as fans have dubbed Magnussen's wild strategy, has netted 7 points for Haas as a team by placing Nico Hulkenberg in a point position and keeping every other driver as far behind him as possible. Now, this reckless driving has caught up to K-Mag, who, with 10 penalty points, is likely one incident away from a race ban. Will Imola see that ultimate decision, or will Haas back off?

Kick Sauber: Will Bottas Make the Adjustment?

Valtteri Bottas' season has not gone to plan thus far. As discussed in the Miami race grades, Bottas has yet to score a point while splitting head-to-head results with his teammate, Zhou Guanyu. In his defense, Kick Sauber has hardly been making efforts to ensure Bottas' comfort in his situation, hitting him with a new race engineer in Miami. Bottas described the change as "sudden" and suggested it was likely related to the squad's 2025 shift to Audi. Will Bottas be able to make one of the many necessary improvements needed in driving and strategy, despite his unfortunate circumstances, and improve on his season-best of P14?

McLaren: Have They Caught Red Bull?

I'm still stunned by the weekend that both McLarens put together. Yes, Oscar Piastri crashed out and placed 13th, but he advanced quickly at the start of the race and saw positions as high as 2nd. And, of course, Lando Norris secured his first F1 race victory in his 110th Grand Prix. Both drivers piqued my interest with their ability to not only compete with, but outcompete, better cars. Heading into Miami, I perceived the MCL38 as the third-best car on the grid, well behind Ferrari and miles behind Red Bull. However, Piastri was right there with both Ferraris before his unfortunate bump with Carlos Sainz, and Lando Norris was able to outpace Max Verstappen to comfortably win. It begs the question of just how good this car is, and whether this weekend's upgrades will push it past the SF-24 and even possibly the RB20.

Mercedes: Will the Upgrades Bring the Car Up to Speed?

The W15 is, as a lot of Mercedes fans have put it this season, a tractor. That's the simplest way to put it. In 2023, Mercedes had the best non-Red Bull driver on the track. This year's car has struggled in qualifying badly for a car of its expectations, and it's starting to show. Neither driver has qualified higher than 7th in the last three GPs, and Lewis Hamilton looked especially lost in China, starting P18. Imola will bring Mercedes an upgrade package. Will it be enough to bridge the gap?

Red Bull: Will Max Respond With a Win?

For the first time this season, Max Verstappen has passed the chequered flag while not in 1st place. You can attempt to chalk up Lando Norris' victory to whatever you would like, be it the safety car, be it floor damage, but at the end of the day, Max was bested by Lando. After an initial attack after the yellow flag, Max backed off and never had another opportunity for an advance, as Lando ran away with the race. With upgrade packages coming for both Red Bull and McLaren, as well as fellow close rival Ferrari, it's time for Max to prove that Miami was simply a fluke, and the RB20 is still leagues ahead of the field. 

Visa Cash App RB: Will They Acknowledge a Change in the Lead Seat?

Does anyone remember the VCARB drama that occurred in Bahrain? It seems like a foreign time after the good vibes surrounding the team in Miami. Yuki Tsunoda, frustrated with perceived favoritism within team directions, dive-bombed Daniel Ricciardo on the cooldown lap of the race. It appears to have created a bit of a rift between the two VCARB drivers, but I'm here not to discuss this rift, but the rift in performance since that day in Bahrain. Tsunoda has won the head-to-head in every race both driver finished outside of Bahrain, and has placed 7th twice in GPs. Ricciardo, on the other hand, has yet to secure points on Sunday this season. Tsunoda was frustrated early on with the team favoring Ricciardo. Will they start showing that favor to Yuki at Imola?

Williams: Will Logan Sargeant Finish the Race?

Unfortunately, this is the situation we've reached with the 2024 Williams team. Both drivers are struggling mightily so far this year. Alexander Albon just inked a multi-year contract despite a pointless start to the year. Logan Sargeant has not only yet to score a point, but he's struggling to even finish races at this point, DNF'ing in Miami thanks to Kevin Magnussen's aggressive overtake attempt. That's the question for Sargeant: can he make it through on Sunday? Mostly due to things that aren't his fault, Sargeant has only finished four of six races. This is a silly question, but his history makes me question weekly whether he'll finish or not.