Formula 1 cancels Emilia-Romagna GP after heavy rain

The direction of Formula 1 announced this Wednesday (17) the cancellation of the GP of Emilia-Romagna, which would be held in Imola, this weekend, in Italy. The realization of the stage became unfeasible, according to the promoters of the race, due to the heavy rain that has been hitting the north of the country in recent weeks.

“The decision was made because it will not be possible to hold the event safely for our fans, teams and employees and this is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation facing the city and region. pressure on authorities and emergency services at this difficult time,” F1 said in a statement.

The heavy rain made the Santerno river, which borders part of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, overflow in several stretches throughout Tuesday (16). The river nearly reached areas with F1 equipment in some stretches, spooking officials already working on the circuit on Tuesday.

The situation reached a point where the paddock had to be evacuated. Teams, which were already working on setting up the pits and hospitality structures, had to leave the circuit in the middle of Tuesday afternoon.

According to the initial schedule, the pilots would go to the track for the first time on Friday (19), at 8:30 am (Brasília time), for the first free practice. The race was scheduled for Sunday (21), at 10am. In its communiqué, F-1 did not indicate a new date or suggest that the stage will be transferred to another month of the 2023 calendar.

The rains have wreaked havoc in the Italian region in recent weeks. The local government even issued a red alert, warning of the risk of 100mm of precipitation on Tuesday. And up to 150mm throughout this Wednesday.

“The F1 community wants to send its thoughts to the people and communities affected by the recent events in the Emilia-Romagna region. We also want to commend the work of the emergency services who are doing everything they can to help those in need at this time. “, recorded the statement.

Current CEO of F-1, the Italian Stefano Domenicali lamented the damage caused by the rains in the region where he lived in childhood. “It is a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the city and region where I grew up. And my thoughts and prayers are with the flood victims and the families and communities affected,” he said.

In recent days, with the proximity of the GP, local and even national authorities in Italy began to pressure the F-1 direction for the cancellation. The biggest concern was with the natural demand that an event of this size causes on the emergency services, which are now all focused on assisting the victims of the rains and floods. There are records of flooding even inside the racetrack this Wednesday.