McLaren’s Oscar Piastri Leads Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola

IMOLA, Italy — The 2025 Formula 1 season continues this weekend with the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix taking place at the Imola Circuit from May 16-18. McLaren‘s Oscar Piastri is leading the drivers’ championship, showing strong performance after his victory in Miami.

Piastri is currently 16 points ahead of his teammate, Lando Norris, after both drivers dominated practice sessions on Friday in Imola. McLaren holds a significant 105-point lead over Mercedes in the constructors’ standings.

The race is set to start on Sunday at 14:00 BST, with commentary available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds. Interested fans can also listen through smart speakers by asking, ‘Play the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.’

Weather forecasts for the weekend indicate a potential for light showers on race day, with a 20% chance of rain both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is expected to be warm and mostly sunny with temperatures reaching 23°C.

In team news, Alpine has made a change to its driver line-up ahead of the race. Jack Doohan has been replaced by Franco Colapinto, while Pierre Gasly remains as the other driver. The team also announced that a ‘new evaluation’ of the driver situation will occur before the British Grand Prix in July.

Team Principal Oliver Oakes has resigned, leaving Executive Adviser Flavio Briatore to assume his responsibilities. This shake-up comes just weeks after a disappointing start to the season for the French team.

Fans can tune in for the complete race weekend schedule: Saturday’s practice takes place from 11:30-12:30 BST, followed by qualifying from 15:00-16:00 BST. Sunday’s grand prix kicks off at 14:00 BST.

This weekend’s event marks the return of Formula 1 to Italy, and many drivers are eager to impress the home crowd.