F1 cancel Imola GP following bad weather and flooding in the region

Formula 1 has cancelled the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix following bad weather, flooding and heavy downpours.

F1 have officially cancelled the Grand Prix weekend in Imola after the region was put under a red weather alert by the local government’s Department of Civil Protection.

Recently, Italy has been battered with poor weather which has resulted in the affected regions – which include the Emilia-Romagna region – to suffer from heavy downpours and flooding.

F1 had discussions with the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and the local authorities which included the President of the Automobile Club of Italy and the President of the Emilia Romagna region. In the end, they opted to cancel the event.

The decision was taken because it was not possible to safely hold the event for the fans, the teams and F1 personnel. The sport also stated the decision was the ‘right and responsible thing to do.’

Following the announcement, F1 CEO and President, Stefano Domenicali said:

“It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected.

“I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation – they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud on them.

“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.”

Following F1’s arrival to the Italian circuit, ahead of the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, teams and their personnel were setting up their garages ahead of the event.

However, on Tuesday, F1 personnel were sent home due to the risk of flooding before being told not to return as the circuit was closed until further notice.

FIA President Ben Sulayem shared his thoughts regarding those affected, he said:

“My thoughts and those of the entire FIA family are with those affected by the terrible situation in the Emilia Romagna region. The safety of everyone involved and recovery efforts are the top priority at this time.”

F1 also wanted to pay a tribute to the work of the emergency services in the affected areas as they work incredibly hard to help those in need.

That’s all for the article: F1 cancel Imola GP following bad weather in the region!

What did you think, was it the right call? Let us know in the comments!

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.