Why Red Bull can celebrate at Imola regardless of the result

The Imola circuit is set to host the seventh round of the F1 season this weekend, a track where Red Bull has historically performed well in recent years.

The Milton Keynes-based team has secured victory in the last three Grands Prix held at this historic venue and is aiming for another strong performance.

However, Red Bull is not considered the favorite heading into this event, as McLaren is seeking its sixth win in seven races, continuing its dominant start to the season.

Red Bull will nevertheless reach a significant milestone at Imola, marking its 400th Grand Prix start. This achievement makes Red Bull only the seventh team in F1 history to reach this number of race starts.

With this 400th start, Red Bull will draw level with the French manufacturer Renault in terms of total Grand Prix starts.

The all-time list for most race starts is topped by Ferrari, which remains the only team to have started over 1,000 races. Following Ferrari are McLaren (976 starts) and Williams (857 starts).

Other notable teams on the list include Lotus and Tyrrell, both of which are no longer competing in Formula 1. Red Bull is projected to surpass Tyrrell's total race starts during the 2026 season.

It's worth noting that Red Bull's 400th race weekend does not include the 2005 United States Grand Prix. Red Bull, along with other teams using Michelin tires, withdrew from that race due to safety concerns.