There’s a fight taking place in Italy’s motor racing community over which circuit will get to host the 2017 Italian Grand Prix. The head of the country’s racing federation wants it to stay at Monza, but Bernie Ecclestone is ready to switch it back to Imola.
The Gran Premio d’Italia, as it’s known in to locals, has been held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza every year since 1949 (and many times before that) with one notable exception. That was 1980, when it was held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari – better known as Imola (due to its location).
That was not, however, the only time that Imola held a Formula One race. Following its hosting of the Italian Grand Prix, it held the San Marino Grand Prix every year from 1981 to 2006, when it was dropped from the calendar. The race took its name from (even though it was not actually held in) the nearby independent republic of San Marino.
Also nearby is the Maranello headquarters of Ferrari, as well as several other performance vehicle manufacturers that do not currently compete in F1. Maserati and Pagani are located nearby in Modena, with Ducati and Lamborghini just down the autostrada near Bologna. That makes the Emilia-Romagna region (where Imola is located) the epicenter of Italian performance, whereas Monza is located closer to Milan, the country’s largest city.
Ever since they lost the San Marino Grand Prix, officials have had a plan in place to renovate the circuit and bring it up to spec. Now that the prospect is back on the table, they’re shifting the refurbishing program into high gear, installing new media and medical centers and upgrading the track itself based on plans drawn up by leading architect Hermann Tilke.
With an agreement now in place between Ecclestone and Imola’s management, and the support of the local government, all that’s needed now is for Angelo Sticchi Damiani, president of the Automobile Club d’Italia, to give his consent. However as Motorsport.com reports, his support reportedly lies at present with keeping the race at Monza despite the circuit’s apparent financial troubles.
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