Formula 1 has canceled this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in the wake of deadly flooding in the region surrounding the race. The decision was taken to allow emergency responders to focus their resources on protecting the region’s population.
“It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in,” said Stefano Domeincali, the president and CEO of Formula 1. “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.”
At least five people have died in the flooding and 5,000 more were told to leave the area, reports the Associated Press. For the Grand Prix, thousands of race fans were expected to pour into the region, and Matteo Salvini, Italy’s infrastructure minister, requested that the race be canceled to allow the country to focus resources on the hardest-hit areas.
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The Imola track is located right next to the Santerno River, which overflowed its banks due to the heavy rain. Personnel preparing the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, better known as Imola, were asked to leave the track yesterday, as a precaution. A video shared yesterday by F1 personality, Albert Fabrega, showed that although the paddock was relatively dry, severe flooding was visible from it.
In its statement, Formula 1 gave no indication that the Italian race would be rescheduled. The tightly packed, 23-race, 2023 calendar is already set to run until late November, so it would be difficult to find a date to add a makeup race.
Despite losing an opportunity to score points, the drivers and teams from across the paddock showed their support for the decision, agreeing that it was more important to prioritize safety over the sport.