20/08/2024
NEWS STORY
Times have changed in F1, and Angelo Sticchi Damiani, president of Italy's automobile club, admits that his country is lucky to host two rounds of the world championship.
Over the years, during the Michael Schumacher era we saw Germany hosting two races, while Spain benefitted from the Alonso era. However, under Liberty Media's ownership, the sport has looked away from Europe towards pastures new, not forgetting its own backyard, where there are currently three events.
Consequently, Europe, the birthplace and traditional heartland of Formula One is facing a tough future, for with the calendar strictly limited to 24 races, and the sport looking to the likes of India (again), South Korea (again), Thailand and even Rwanda, there is talk, fully supported by the likes of Zak Brown, of some events being used on a rotational basis.
With that in mind, Damiani is grateful that Italy still has two events, at Monza and Imola, though he isn't taking anything for granted. Indeed, though both circuits have contracts for 2025, who knows how things will play out, especially with F1 bosses hoping that the imaginatively titled movie F1 coming out next year and hopefully opening up new markets.
"We will surely still have Imola and Monza together on the calendar because there is still a year of contract for Imola," Damiani tells Sky Italia. "There was talk during the flood and a little later about catching up with the 2023 edition in 2026," he adds, referring to last year's cancelled event. "This is the first goal.
"Once the contract for Monza is defined and closed, we will focus and get to work body and soul for Imola," he adds. "Having two Grands Prix in Italy is a dream. We know it's a dream and we want it to continue, but it always remains a dream."
Though a long-time favourite of fans and drivers alike, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the so-called Cathedral of Speed, has fallen behind the times, certainly when compared to some of the venues Liberty has brought on board in recent years.
While upgrades to the circuit have been going on for some time, and continue to do so, Damiani is the first to admit that much more needs to be done.
"The improvements were made on the runway and under the track," he says. "We went all the way to the foundation to the top layer. So we have a perfect track from the point of view of the surface and above all robust, able to last many, many years and not have any kind of problem.
"And we have expanded, arranged and completely divided the flow of pedestrians from that of the vehicles," he adds, "be it these cars, vans etc, they will have a lot of space available, so we have also increased security.
"As far as the renewal of the contract is concerned, we will have to try to conclude quickly. What we need is to report, to discount those costs to date. But we will succeed with the resources we have at our disposal to make the works that were planned in 2019 and that of transforming the current press room into an additional space for Formula 1, that of the Paddock Club.
"This means greatly enriching the offer to Formula 1 in hope, indeed, in the belief that all this will be taken into account in setting the agreement for the next 5-10 years."
Being the home circuit of F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, it is unlikely that Imola, whose facilities are of an even lower standard than those at Monza, will be similarly troubled.