Facts and figures for Sunday's Grand Prix:

Venue: Imola (Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari). 4.933 km (3.065 miles). Race to be held over 62 laps. Total distance 305.609 km (189.897 miles).

GMT start time: 1200

Race lap record: Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari, one minute 22.491 seconds (2003)

2003 pole time: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1:22.327.

Summary of last five races at Imola:

2003 - Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari

Schumacher's fourth win in five years at Imola, and career fifth success there, came only hours after the death of his mother Elisabeth. He and brother Ralf had flown back to Germany the previous evening to be with her. They then lined up on the front row together. There was no champagne sprayed on the podium. Raikkonen was second and Barrichello third.

2002 - Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

Ferrari's first one-two finish at their home circuit since 1982, with Schumacher leading Barrichello in a processional race with just one overtaking manoeuvre.

2001 - Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams

Ralf's first win, in his 70th race, and Williams' first since 1997. Ralf seized the lead from Coulthard on pole at the first corner and stayed ahead to the finish.

2000 - Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

Schumacher made a poor start but took his third win in a row for the season thanks to fine Ferrari strategy. Mika Hakkinen was second ahead of McLaren team mate Coulthard.

1999 - Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

Schumacher gave Ferrari a first win at their home track for 16 years. Hakkinen crashed out after leading for 17 laps, while Schumacher took the lead from Coulthard following a pit stop.

The circuit:

Imola, in Ferrari's heartland, hosted its first Formula One event in 1963 when Briton Jim Clark won a race that did not count towards the world championship.

In 1980, it hosted the Italian Grand Prix, but the race was moved to Monza the following year and Imola has remained on the calendar since then as the San Marino Grand Prix.

In 1988, after his death, the circuit was renamed to include Enzo Ferrari's name as well as that of his late son Dino.

The circuit is, with Interlagos, one of only two in the championship to run anti-clockwise and was redesigned in 1995 following the deaths the previous year of Brazilian world champion Ayrton Senna and Austrian Roland Ratzenberger.

This year could be Imola's swansong after Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone cast doubt on the circuit hosting a grand prix after 2004.

Drivers' view:

"You need to be very aggressive to get a good lap time: you have to really attack the kerbs with the car in order to be quick," says Renault's Alonso.

"The race itself rewards consistency and you need to be able to get the most out of your car in a few short bursts around the pit-stops to make up positions."