The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Italy has been canceled due to deadly floods in the region. The decision was made for safety reasons and to avoid putting extra burden on emergency services. At least five people have died in the flooding and thousands more have been evacuated. Formula One personnel were told to stay away from the track after floods affected large parts of the Emilia-Romagna region. The Santerno River runs right next to the track, and some residents of Imola, where the track is located, were warned to move to higher floors of their homes.
The Italian GP is the second race on the 2023 F1 calendar to be canceled after the Chinese Grand Prix was also called off due to pandemic-related restrictions. If the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is not rescheduled, the season will have 22 races, the same as last year. Ferrari and drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen supported the decision to cancel the race. The AlphaTauri team, based in nearby Faenza, issued an appeal for donations to help local people affected by the flooding.
F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali expressed his condolences and gratitude for the emergency services and said that safety comes first. The decision to cancel the race was made after consulting with Italian political figures and was supported by Matteo Salvini, Italy’s infrastructure minister. The Monaco Grand Prix is on May 28 and the Spanish GP is a week later.
