Organisers of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix accept that their race is unlikely to be rescheduled this season after severe weather forced its cancellation.
Northern Italy’s deadly flooding event forced F1 to call off the Imola race on Wednesday, having evacuated the paddock in the face of heavy rain the night before.
On Wednesday night the death toll had risen to nine, with several more people still missing and more people still displaced from their homes, while several towns had been completely inundated by dramatically high water levels.
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The sport concluded that it couldn’t justify diverting resources away from the rescue efforts to hold the race, and even if there had been a willingness to press on, collapsed roads, landslides, closed highways and a regional river system completely out of control would have made it logistically impossible.
Formula 1 was decisive in calling off this weekend’s activities, though it appeared to leave the door open to the possibility of rescheduling the race later in the year.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali later confirmed to Italy’s Sky Sports that he would prefer to find space for Imola in this year’s calendar.
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“We are sorry for the Imola fans and enthusiasts, we will try to find the right solution,” he said. “Given the tight calendar of 2023, it is difficult to think of being able to recover this year, but we have a moral obligation for those who have worked so hard, and we‘ll see.”
However, there would appear to be little chance of a rerun given the calendar congestion in the second half of the year.
Placing the race on any of the vacant weekends during the European leg of the season would create a nightmare run of five back-to-back grands prix.
Attempting to crowbar it into a free weekend in the second half of the year would create a minimum four-race swing — still unpalatable given the sport travels to Asia, the Americas and the Middle East after the mandatory mid-season break.
Automobile Club d’Italia president Angelo Sticchi Damiani acknowledged the long odds of rescheduling the race, admitting that Imola was unlikely to host a grand prix before next year.
“The cancellation was inevitable in the face of such a dramatic situation,” he said, per Motorsport. “Given the complexity of the calendar, it is reasonable to imagine that the 2023 edition will be held in 2026. But at the moment it is certainly not a priority.”
The circuit’s current contract expires at the end of 2025, with Damiani suggesting a one-year extension was the logical next step given the force majeure circumstances.
Despite the week’s events meaning Imola is unlikely to feature on this year’s calendar at all, teams and drivers backed the call to withdraw from the flood-ravaged region.
“Hoping everyone in Emilia-Romagna is able to stay safe and look out for each other right now,” Lewis Hamilton wrote on social media. “Thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy and the amazing emergency services working on the ground.
“I know we all understand that safety comes first. I can’t wait to see you all at the next race.”
His views were echoed by his Mercedes team, which said it “fully supports the decision by Formula 1, the FIA, the race promoters and local authorities to not proceed with the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend.
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“The safety of people in the Emilia-Romagna region must take priority alongside allowing local authorities and emergency services to continue their vital work helping those in need.”
Aussie Oscar Piastri apologised to fans for being unable to compete but said his “thoughts are with all those affected by the floods in the Emilia-Romagna region.
“I look forward to my first race at Imola in the future,” he added.
AlphaTauri, whose home town of Faenza is just 16 kilometres from Imola and has been among the worst hit, said it was focused on keeping its staff safe.
“Scuderia AlphaTauri is very concerned about events unfolding over the past hours in Faenza and indeed in the whole Emilia-Romagna area, with flooding and heavy rain causing considerable damage,” the team said.
“The team‘s factory is currently unaffected and everything is being done to ensure the safety of our employees and their families.
“Our sympathies go out to all those affected and we continue to monitor the situation, to see what can be done to help those in need as we await further developments.”
Ferrari’s headquarters is around 90 kilometres away but in the same Emilia-Romagna region, and team boss Frédéric Vasseur said his thoughts were with those caught up in the flood.
“On behalf of everyone working at Scuderia Ferrari I would like to express our deepest sympathy to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy,” he said. “Emilia-Romagna is our homeland and it’s heartbreaking to see what people are going through at the moment.”
Carlos Sainz said he was looking forward to being able to race in front of Ferrari’s passionate home crowd again in happier times.
“The cancellation is a hard hit, but in the end the most important thing is that one can help all the people who are suffering in this extreme climate,” he said.
“I really wanted to race in front of all the Ferrari fans this weekend, but safety is always the priority, and there are plenty of Formula 1 races.”
Guenther Steiner, whose Haas team shares a campus with Ferrari in Maranello, applauded the work of emergency services in helping to restore the region for the second time this month.
“Our entire team’s thoughts are very much with the people affected by the flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region,” Steiner said.
“We will continue to keep the local community in mind, their ongoing safety is paramount, and we express our thanks to the authorities and emergency services in the region for their tireless efforts at this challenging time.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem emphasised that safety had to be the sport’s priority.
“My thoughts and those of the entire FIA family are with those affected by the terrible situation in the Emilia-Romagna region,” he said. “The safety of everyone involved and recovery efforts are the top priority at this time.”