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Formula 1 / Emilia Romagna GP Opinion

In the shadows of Melbourne and Spa, F1 does the right thing over Imola

OPINON: For the first time since the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula 1 has cancelled an event last-minute, not including the COVID-19 calendar-shifting. But where it has in the past failed to act until it is too late, in the case of the Emilia Romagna GP the championship made a timely, morally correct call. From the ground in Italy, here’s the full story of how that decision came to be

Alex Kalinauckas
By:
A view of the wet track

The unease felt exactly the same. For the second time in just over three years, it was time to fly to a race that had disaster looming large around it.

But with this weekend's 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled, the outcome for Formula 1 is very different to that dark March week down under in Australia in 2020. Then the championship had rather dithered over what to do in the face of the unfurling, horrifying, COVID-19 pandemic.

Its situation back then wasn't as clear cut as it may have seemed to some, nor was hindsight's somewhat smug benefit available. There was no telling, really, of just how bad things were going to get for the world over.

But the hospital horrors in China and Italy had already provided a hint of what was being spread around the world. And there had been enough time, as well as something of 'safety in numbers' given the NBA and some other motorsport series had already decided to start cancelling events, to stop the near-2000-total paddock personnel boarding flights.

F1 was lumped with Lewis Hamilton's shrewd "cash is king" tag ahead of arguments playing out long into that famous Melbourne night and scenes of fans then turning up to the Albert Park track ahead of F1 practice sessions that would never take place the next day. The championship's reputation was dented.

Just 17 months later, four useless weather update promises and over three hours came and went between the controversial 'start' and 'finish' at the 2021 Belgian GP. This is still shamefully registered as a 'race' in F1's history books and etched into the minds of many fans that got soaked for nothing on that day in the Ardennes.

And now, after five briefings regarding the developing situation had not been followed by any call over whether this weekend's Imola planned race would go ahead or not following devastating heavy rain and flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region, once again plenty of the paddock headed to the airport. By the time many had landed, that situation had changed – the event was off and, at the time of writing, is unlikely to be replaced.

The 2021 Belgian GP turned into a farce as F1 botched its handling of the weather-affected 'race'

The 2021 Belgian GP turned into a farce as F1 botched its handling of the weather-affected 'race'

Photo by: Erik Junius

The Mugello circuit that hosted a 2020 COVID replacement round, to celebrate what Ferrari had determined was its 1000th race, is just 44 miles from Imola. But it could never be a viable stand-in at such short notice this time given the infrastructure requirements of moving and installing an F1 event. Plus, there were reports of awful landslides taking place nearby there too.

But it was nice to wonder for a moment, as travel agents were dialled and booking management tabs opened, if a return to that delightfully undulating, picturesque and challenging MotoGP heaven might've been a possibility. Why it was not is also central to the story of why 2023's Imola event had been called off.

Above Florence, the Tuscany rivers were visibly bloated, many nearby fields flooded, but the scene at least calm and manageable. Two hours' drive up the road into Emilia-Romagna, the picture was very, shockingly, different.

The Giro d'Italia cycling race had passed in the opposite direction only the day before. Starting in the torrential rain that had been soaking north-eastern Italy since Monday, at least one commentator had hyperbolically described the weather accompanying the early part of that stage as "apocalyptic". Tragically for many on the ground in Emilia-Romagna, this was rather the reality.

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari and its darkest moments are often referenced along with its watery neighbour. The Santerno's placing is the reason why the Tamburello corner was considered so fearsome during the circuit's previous stint on the F1 calendar

Because by Wednesday, 21 rivers in the region had burst their banks – with eight people killed and over 5,000 displaced by the surging torrents. Some people had been trapped in their homes by the water, others climbing to roofs to avoid it. In Riolo Terme, a huge piece of industrial drilling equipment had swept into the Senio river. Bridges had collapsed in other towns, with widespread power loss to homes.

In Faenza, the home of AlphaTauri, mayor Massimo Isola called the situation "a night that we will never forget – we've never known such flooding i