After the race was canceled in Imola – new details about the future are known

formula 1

Constant rain, overflowing rivers and cars that are completely under water. The images that are currently coming to the public from the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna are disturbing. Several thousand people even had to be evacuated last Wednesday night.

No wonder that Formula 1 has now reacted and canceled the race weekend in Imola. On Tuesday afternoon, construction work by both the media and the Formula 1 teams themselves had to be stopped.

Formula 1: “Precarious” situation around Imola

“The situation was very precarious,” reports Sky reporter Peter Hardenacke on the in-house TV station. Accordingly, the Santerno river, which is right next to the route, was also partially crossed. The route itself has not yet been affected by flooding. The paddock, however, does.

As the Spanish journalist Albert Fabrega reports and also shows in a picture, the paddock and the Formula 1 pits are said to be intact. The areas that are lower along the route, however, are said to have been flooded with a lot of water. The Formula 2 paddock in particular is said to be affected.

Hardenacke also reports that the TV compound, i.e. the center from which the television pictures are sent out into the world, is half a meter under water.

In addition, all personnel were forbidden from going to the track on Wednesday. The situation is too dangerous. The weather should calm down a bit first. Sky moderator Hardenacke also said that the rain should increase again at the weekend.

Fabrega released another tweet with a video from the paddock intended to show Tuesday’s situation. It shows a slope in the paddock with a small wall. The Santerno flows behind this wall. However, not further down the river bed as usual, but only a few meters below the wall. It is therefore clear that if the river continues to rise, there is also a risk of the route being flooded.

As Fabrega writes, however, all the materials were already on site. However, the far greater problem will have been the arrival of the fans. Around 160,000 tickets were sold for the weekend. The arrival of the fans would not have been safe.

F1 cancellation in Imola: what the future holds

So what’s next? Whether the race in Imola will be rescheduled at another time is open. However, since the race calendar is very tight, it is more likely that the race will be canceled without replacement.

The current contract for Formula 1 races in Imola expires in 2025. Therefore, the makers hope that this failure will result in an extension for a year. “Given the complexity of the calendar, it’s safe to assume that the 2023 edition will take place in 2026“said the President of the Italian Automobile Federation, Angelo Sticchi Damiani.

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali is also considering this option. It is “an option that is on the table,” he revealed on Thursday.

F1 boss expresses himself emotionally about the cancellation

Domenicali said in a statement about the cancellation that it was a tragedy for Imola and the Emilia Romagna region: “My thoughts and prayers are with the flood victims, the families, and communities that have been affected.” Commenting on the final decision, he added: “The decision that has been made is the right one for everyone in the communities and the Formula 1 family because we need to guarantee safety and not create any additional work for the authorities while they deal with the terrible take care of the situation.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “My thoughts and those of the entire FIA ​​family are with the people affected by this terrible situation in Emilia Romagna. The safety of everyone and the protective measures are currently the top priority.”

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