With Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region placed under red alert due devastating floods, F1 has decided to cancel this weekend’s race at Imola.
The Emilia-Romagna GP at Imola, scheduled to be held this weekend, has been cancelled due to heavy rainfall and flooding concerns in the region. Confirming the news, an official statement released by F1 says, “the decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region. It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.”
- F1 personnel asked to evacuate Imola on Tuesday
- Imola race unlikely to be rescheduled
Imola GP paddock evacuated after flooding concerns
The Emilia Romagna region, where the race is held, has been under red alert warning for flooding and landslides. This is the second time in just a few weeks that the area has been hit with adverse weather.
Already on Tuesday, F1 personnel working at the circuit were asked to leave the venue with the looming threat of flooding from the nearby Santerno river. While speaking to Sky Italia, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, called for the race to be postponed. He stressed that the focus should currently be on relief efforts in the region.
While organisers were hoping the situation would get better in time for the race, they’ve now decided to not go ahead with the race. “The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation,” said Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1
Will the Imola GP be rescheduled?
F1 still needs to confirm whether the Imola GP will be moved to a later date this year. However, given the tight calendar, this seems unlikely. The next race on the calendar is the Monaco GP on May 26-28.