Matteo Salvini urges F1 to postpone 2023 Imola GP: "Let's dedicate ourselves to relief efforts"

Evolving situation
The situation concerning the 2023 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, scheduled to take place this weekend at the Imola circuit, is developing hour by hour. However, at this point, it is necessary to use the conditional tense because the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, has made it clear – without room for misunderstanding – that he hopes for a postponement of the race. The reason, of course, is the terrible wave of bad weather relentlessly battering the region, which led to the precautionary evacuation of the circuit yesterday.

Imola, sports facilities closed
Today, all sports facilities in Imola are closed, and access to the racetrack is prohibited for safety reasons. The Santerno River, which flows just behind the Imola circuit, reached its peak yesterday. However, what casts doubt on the entire event, even more than the situation near the circuit, is the enormous damage caused throughout the area.

According to the President of the Region, Stefano Bonaccini, 14 rivers have overflowed in multiple locations, dozens of municipalities have been affected, and many roads have been interrupted. Currently, there are two casualties and four missing persons, but there is inevitably fear that these numbers may worsen. In this context, sources from the ministry indicate that Matteo Salvini considers it appropriate to postpone the Grand Prix.

Priority to the emergency
For the Deputy Prime Minister, it is “necessary to concentrate all efforts on facing the emergency” at this stage. The intention is also to avoid overloading the traffic in an area severely affected. An event the size of the Formula 1 GP would inevitably impose a logistical burden on the spectators and professionals that may become unsustainable at this stage.

“In the light of direct contacts between the minister, the institutions and the associations involved. Let’s dedicate ourselves to relief efforts,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

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Several events organized by sponsors and teams for the race weekend have already been canceled, and others may suffer the same fate in the coming hours.

Cancellation: a concrete possibility
Considering past events and the crowded 2023 Formula 1 World Championship calendar, which includes the Monaco and Spain GPs in the two weekends following the Imola race weekend, the feeling is that in the event of the race not taking place, cancellation of the Grand Prix is more likely than rescheduling it to another date. However, currently, the official F1 channels have not provided any official communication regarding the potential cancellation of the race. In this regard, we await the outcome of the meetings that will take place in the coming hours.