17/05/2023
NEWS STORY
F1 has announced that this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will not go ahead as there is no guarantee that it can be held safely.
The official announcement reads as follows:
Following discussions between Formula 1, the President of the FIA, the competent authorities - including the relevant Ministers, the President of the Automobile Club of Italy, the President of Emilia-Romagna Region, the Mayor of the City and the promoter - the decision has been taken not to proceed with the Grand Prix weekend at Imola.
The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region. It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.
"It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna," said Stefano Domenicali, "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 of 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."
"My thoughts and those of the entire FIA family are with those affected by the terrible situation in the Emilia Romagna region," added FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The safety of everyone involved and recovery efforts are the top priority at this time."
Earlier, Italy's Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called on F1 bosses to scrap the race, saying that it was "imperative to concentrate all efforts on coping with the emergency".