Why was the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled?

Imola race cancellation

Why was the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled?

The 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will not take place as was previously planned this weekend

Harry Smith

Wednesday 17 May 2023 18:26 Updated: 19:39

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On Wednesday afternoon, F1 announced that the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix had been cancelled due to flooding in the region.

The decision was taken after hours of talks between F1 and the local authorities with F1 eventually coming to the correct decision of postponement.

This means that what started out as a 24-race calendar for 2023 is now a 22-race calendar, with Imola joining the Chinese Grand Prix in not being contested this season.

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While causing some inconvenience, the decision to cancel the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was unanimously supported by the teams and drivers in F1.

Here are the reasons behind the postponement...

Imola GP washout

As explained in their official statement, there were two major reasons behind the decision to cancel the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Firstly, F1 explained that: "It is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel, and it is the right thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region."

Also at the centre of the decision to postpone was the strain the event would have had on the local emergency services.

The flooding in the Emilia Romagna region has left homes ruined and thousands evacuated

Given the dangers and risks involved in holding an F1 race, local emergency services must be on hand in the event of incidents to ensure the safe running of the event.

Putting on the Grand Prix would have taken emergency services away from the life-threatening circumstances facing residents of the Emilia Romagna region.

This was communicated in F1's statement, which read: "It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time."

The decision has been taken not to proceed with the Grand Prix weekend in Imola#EmiliaRomagnaGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/4taauGnFEA
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 17, 2023