The latest update on Imola is that the historic circuit will be extending its F1 contract. Following the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix due to force majeure, it is believed that Formula One will extend Imola’s contract for a further year.
On Wednesday 17 May, Formula One confirmed the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – the sixth round of the 2023 World Championship – due to force majeure following the deadly floods that have hit northern Italy in recent hours.
This decision was taken in agreement with the event’s organisers.
The president of the Automobile Club d’Italia, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, believes that it is more “reasonable” to postpone the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna to 2026 rather than trying to “re-fit” the event on the calendar in the coming months.
“I am deeply saddened by what is happening in Emilia Romagna. Cancellation was inevitable in the face of such a dramatic situation,” said Angelo Sticchi Damiani on Wednesday evening.
“Given the complexity of the calendar, it is reasonable to imagine that the 2023 edition will be held in 2026. But for the moment it is certainly not a priority…”
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Imola rescheduled for 2026
Indeed, with the Formula 1 championship calendar already very busy this year with 23 Grands Prix on the programme, it seems unlikely that the Formula 1 championship will be able to find an available slot for Imola this season.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix’s contract with Formula One runs until 2025 and it would therefore be more sensible to extend the current contract by another year so that the 2023 event – which was cancelled at the last minute due to force majeure – can be rescheduled for the 2026 season.
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Adding a year into the existing hosting deal is indeed more realistic than trying to reschedule for later this season, which would be effectively impossible because all existing intervals would cause either impracticalities via impossibly long consecutive-weekend stretches or flyaway freight events & even putting Imola on the summer break gap would either entirely sacrifice the vital summer shutdown period or shorten that at best.