Gp Imola 2023 canceled due to bad weather in Emilia-Romagna – Corriere.it

The Emilia-Romagna GP, scheduled for this weekend in Imola (May 19-21), no racing. The event has been cancelled. The decision came after the summit between the authorities, the Civil Protection and the organizers to decide on what to do. This was also confirmed by the president of ACI, Angelo Sticchi Damiani present at the summit.

Floods and bad weather in Emilia-Romagna, live news

The conclusion, quite quickly, was that there weren’t enough security measures to organize the event in an area in full emergency, shaken by the victims and by the enormous damage caused by the flood. The president of F1, Stefano Domenicali was born in Imola. Managing such an event would have been impossible in these conditions, with law enforcement, firefighters and security personnel busy with far more important tasks. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini this morning had asked for the race to be postponed. But the situation had been very complex for days, with 160,000 people expected over the weekend, 82% of tickets had been sold. Mud, unusable car parks, blocked road links, but above all there was also an ethical question in holding a sports event in an area affected by a tragedy.

The F1 community – written in a note – wants to express its closeness to the populations of Emilia-Romagna, affected by the terrible events of recent days. The president of F1, Stefano Domenicali, was born in Imola: a tragedy that struck the land where I grew up. My thoughts and prayers are with the flood victims, their families and those affected. I want to express gratitude and admiration for the work of the rescuers, they are heroes Italy must be proud of.

For Domenicali, the decision to cancel was the right one for everyone: We must bring security to the area and not add problems to a picture already full of problems. The words of the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, share the same tenor: The whole Federation is close to the people affected by this tragedy. Safety comes first.

TO Imola the circuit was closed on Wednesday, all F1 personnel have been given orders not to move or try to reach him. On Tuesday the paddock – the area that houses the teams’ motorhomes – had been evacuated as a precaution due to the swelling of the Santerno, the river that flows next to the racetrack. In these hours in Imola it continued to rain, Friday was supposed to be the first day of activity on the track with free practice. Imola was to be the first stop on F1’s European treble, with Monte Carlo and Barcelona following over the next two weeks. This year there will be no racing at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, the 2023 edition could be recovered in 2026 after the extension of the contract.