The Grand Prix – San Marino

The San Marino Grand Prix was one of the race tracks used in Formula 1. The last race held there was in 2006.

Location and How to Get to This Specific Site

The race track was held on the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari at Imola Italy. It is near the Apennine Mountains. In spite of the name, the race was never held in San Marino as it is too small to hold such an event. It was named after the republic as there is already an Italian Grand Prix.

What to See There

The San Marino Grand Prix is 4.959 km (3.081 mi) long and has 62 laps. The race itself is 307.221 km (191.022 mi) long. Known as a high speed circuit, modifications were made after the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994. Most notably, the Tamburello and Villeneuve corners were modified. The race was the main attraction, but there were many shows during the whole weekend.

History

Construction of the circuit started in 1950. Following the inaugural race, the motorcycle races also began to take place at Imola. The car races held there in the 1960s and 60s proved popular. After an accident in 1978, the Italian Grand Prix was relocated to Imola. The first race was won by Nelson Piquet.

The next year, the Italian Grand Prix was moved back to Monza. That was in 1981. Become there already was an Italian Grand Prix, the race was renamed after San Marino.

Cost

The ticket prices for the Grand Prix varied from year to year. Today they would cost at least 300 Pounds. But if you add in the cost of staying at hotels, food, amenities etc, the total cost will probably reach 1000 Pounds. However, many sellers of F1 tickets offer discounts and packages. Many of these are available online.

Other Info

A total of 26 races were held there. The first F1 race held was in 1981. Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most wins with 7. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost are tied for second with three victories each.

The San Marino Grand Prix was one of the most popular circuits, but teams criticized the lack of modem facilities in the area. They also pointed out that there was already a race held in Italy. On August 2006, the F1 governing body decided to drop the racetrack from the calendar. It has not been used since.