It is like the Austrian GP when it was held for the first time on the newly-built Osterreichring, it got off the ground immediately, and the San Marino race at Imola has done the same thing. It is all a matter of having the right ingredients, the right reasons for the event, the right circuit, the right atmosphere, the right organisation. The third Gran Premio San Marino was a superb event. Grand Prix racing is alive and well and lives in Italy.
Although we have had Formula One races already this year in Brazil and California they can never witness a total commitment by the teams as they are too far from the home base. The French GP at the featureless Paul Ricard circuit recently was a bit unreal and you felt that most people did not really believe they were back in Europe, but by the end of April when official practice began on the Imola Autodromo everyone had their feet firmly planted back in Europe and there was a very exciting atmosphere about the pits and paddock on Friday morning as engines were warmed-up, tyres fitted, adjusunents made to aerodynamic tweaks, refuelling and wheel changing equipment set up, spare engines unloaded and new designs of tyre assembled.
A quick look down the row of large and well-equipped pit lane garages showed that the three Ferraris (065, 064 and 062) all had the new rear suspension that appeared briefly in practice at Brands Hatch, and has since been thoroughly tested at Fiorano, Spa and Imola. This has wide-base wishbones and an inboard mounted spring anit operated by a pull-rod working on a swinging link on which the spring is mounted. The whole affair is much more rigid and controllable than the old rocker-arm system and provides improved geometry to keep the tyres in better contact with the road. The cars were carrying enormous rear aerofoils and had huge fibreglass air ducts to the front brakes as braking on the undulating Imola circuit is of prime importance.
