The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been CANCELED due to flooding after extreme weather in Imola
The Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna this Sunday in Imola has been canceled after the region was hit by severe flooding.
The decision to abandon the race was made on Wednesday morning by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. This means that a large number of flights will be canceled and hotel rooms will remain empty, as most of the 2,000 or so touring circuses will now not travel to Italy.
All portable facilities now go straight to Monaco for the next race a week on Sunday.
Domenicali acted after speaking with the local authorities and promoter. It is clear that F1 did not want to put an extra burden on the community or emergency services.
The schedule is so packed that the Imola race is unlikely to take place later in the year, meaning the calendar will drop to 22 rounds.
This weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been canceled due to extreme rainfall in Imola
The decision was made by F1 chief Stefano Domenicali – out of fear the race will not be rescheduled amid a packed schedule
An F1 statement read: “The Formula 1 community wishes to send its thoughts to the people and communities affected by the recent events in the Emilia-Romagna region. We also want to pay tribute to the work of the emergency services who are doing everything they can to help people in need.
“After discussions between Formula 1, the president of the FIA, the competent authorities, including the relevant ministers, the president of the Automobile Club of Italy, the president of the Emilia Romagna region, the mayor of the city and the promoter, made the decision to cancel the Grand Prix weekend in Imola.
“The decision has been made because it is not possible to keep the event safe for our fans, the teams and our staff and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation the cities in the region are facing. It would not be right to put even more pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.”
Domenicali added: “It is such a tragedy to see what happened to Imola and Emilia Romagna, the city and region in which I grew up and my thoughts and prayers are with the flood victims and the affected families and communities.
“The decision that has been made is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not put an extra burden on the authorities as they deal with this very terrible situation.”
It leaves Formula 1 with a potential financial hole – the fee for hosting the race is estimated at around £20 million. It is currently unclear what the consequences of the late termination will be for the insurance.
That’s a fraction of the amount spent by big money races like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where they pay more than three times as much as some of the smaller European venues.
Imola was evacuated on Tuesday due to flood risks a few days before the Emilia Romagna GP
A photo shared on Twitter today (left) showed the waters of the Santerno rising dangerously close to the edge of the famous circuit – but the area has experienced flooding in May (right)
The region’s capital, Bologna, was pictured Tuesday afternoon preparing for flood risk
Most personnel would have flown out on Wednesday or Thursday prior to Friday morning training.
Some workers were already in the paddock, setting up infrastructure and preparing garages, before being ordered to stay off the track on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday following a flood and landslide warning.
The level of the Santerno River, which flows just meters from the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, rose alarmingly.
In recent weeks, a torrential rain storm has resulted in the deaths of two people, forcing several hundred to leave their homes. AlphaTauri’s headquarters in Faenza was affected by the damage.
On Wednesday, horrifying images showed desperate families forced to climb onto their roofs in Italy’s hardest-hit region of Emilia-Romagna as they waited for rescuers to reach them by helicopter.
Rescue workers are moving people to safety in Forli after floods hit Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region
A house was almost completely submerged in the flooded water in Ponte delle Grazie, near Ravenna, Italy on Wednesday
Cars are submerged on a flooded street in Cesena, Italy, after heavy rains caused widespread flooding on Wednesday
A view of the flooding River Savio in Cesena, central Italy, on Wednesday
In the Emilia-Romagna region of Cesena, local residents were forced to swim through flooded streets, past sunken cars and floating furniture, to reach higher ground, as the situation there is “critical,” according to the mayor.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini led the call to limit the F1 event, saying: “In light of the direct contacts between the minister, the institutions and the associations involved, let us commit ourselves to relief work.”
Coincidentally, Imola was already set to be the stage for the launch of a new Pirelli rain tire that does not require pre-warming.
Pirelli’s head of motor racing and F1, Mario Isola, said the new tires had shown ‘even better performance’ than the Cinturato Blue full wet tire currently in use.
“The result of studies carried out by Pirelli, it is the first collective step towards the use of dry tires without preheating,” added Isola.
Stefano Domenicali said the decision was made to ensure safety and avoid putting “further pressure on local authorities and emergency services.”
Toto Wolff had advised his drivers to manage their expectations ahead of the Imola upgrades
The weather delay couldn’t have come at a more difficult point on the F1 calendar, with Imola’s first grand prix of a run of three consecutive race weekends.
Mercedes may regret not having the ideal race weekend to show off their much-publicized upgrades to the W14.
Toto Wolff first mentioned the manufacturer’s proposed upgrades to the car following a disappointing start to the season ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March.
The Mercedes team boss has since tried to play down expectations, saying it was unlikely the upgrades would mean the car could “go in circles around Red Bull”.
It seems unlikely that last year’s Constructors’ champions will be challenged again this season as both world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez can’t put a foot wrong.
Perez is just 14 points behind Verstappen at the top of the standings, with a gaping 30 points gap between the Mexican driver and the next closest contender, Fernando Alonso, who is third.