2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

The 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Gran Premio del Made in Italy e dell'Emilia-Romagna 2023) was a scheduled Formula One motor race set to be held on 21 May 2023, at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. On 17 May, Formula One Management announced the cancellation of the race due to sudden floods in the region.[3]

2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Layout of the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Layout of the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Race details[1][2]
Date Planned for 21 May 2023
Official name Formula 1 Qatar Airways Gran Premio del Made in Italy e dell'Emilia-Romagna 2023
Location Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.909 km (3.050 miles)
Scheduled distance 63 laps, 309.049 km (192.034 miles)

Background

The event was set to be held across the weekend of 19–21 May 2023.[1] It would have been the sixth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship.

Qualifying format and tyre rule changes

The Grand Prix was set to be the first of two to trial a new qualifying format that mandates specific tyre compounds. During the first segment, drivers would have used the hard compound, mediums during the second, and softs during the third. In addition, teams would have only had 11 sets of tyres for the race weekend rather than 13 as part of an initiative to help the sport become more environmentally friendly.[4]

Championship standings before the race

Max Verstappen led the World Drivers' Championship with 119 points, 14 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez in second, and 44 ahead of Fernando Alonso in third. Red Bull Racing, with 224 points, led the Constructors' Championship from Aston Martin and Mercedes, who were second and third with 102 and 96 points, respectively.[5]

As the race was cancelled, these standings would carry over to the Monaco Grand Prix.

Tyre choices
Further information: Formula One tyres

Tyre supplier Pirelli had brought the C3, C4, and C5 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively) for teams to use at the event.[6]

Rain, floods and subsequent cancellation
Further information: 2023 Emilia-Romagna floods

Heading into the weekend, the Italian Protezione Civile issued a weather red alert for the Emilia-Romagna region, where the race would be held; the region had been affected by heavy rain, which led to floods and landslides. On 16 May 2023, all Formula One personnel were instructed to leave the paddock, citing precautionary steps after a rise in water level at the nearby Santerno river was reported.[7][8] Due to the heavy rain observed throughout the week before the race and after several rumours the day before, the Italian ministry called for the race to be postponed.[9][10] Parts of the Grand Prix venue, including the Formula 2 paddock, were later seen to be flooded after the announcement of the cancellation.[11]

Ultimately, the race, as well as Formula 2 and Formula 3 support races, would not go ahead as scheduled; an official statement from Formula One stated that the decision was made as it was not possible to hold the event while considering the safety of the fans, teams, and other personnel, and to lighten the load on local emergency services as they had already been pressured due to the storm damage.[12][3] While the announcement did not rule out the possibility of holding the event later in the year, this is considered unlikely to occur due to a lack of logistically viable calendar slots.[13][14][3]

Formula One would donate €1 million to the Emilia-Romagna region's Agency for Territorial Safety and Civil Protection,[15] and Ferrari announced a further €1 million donation to the region's fundraising effort after the floods.[16]

See also

References
  1. "Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2023 – F1 Race". Formula1.com. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. "Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2023 – F1 Race – Circuit Information". Formula1.com. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  3. Richards, Giles (17 May 2023). "F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled due to flooding in northern Italy". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  4. Noble, Jonathan (4 March 2023). "Imola earmarked for first F1 qualifying experiment". Autosport.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  5. "Miami 2023 – Championship". Stats F1. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  6. "2023 Tyre Compound Choices – Azerbaijan, USA and Italy". pirelli.com. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  7. "Emilia Romagna GP: F1 personnel asked to leave Imola paddock amid concern over heavy rain". Sky Sports F1. 16 May 2023.
  8. Noble, Jonathan (16 May 2023). "Imola F1 weekend faces disruption amid red alert weather warning". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  9. Mitchell, Rory (17 May 2023). "Italian government calls for Imola GP to be postponed". RacingNews365.
  10. Cleeren, Filip (17 May 2023). "Italian deputy PM calls for Imola F1 to be postponed". Motorsport.com.
  11. Matt Kew (17 May 2023). "F1 cancels Imola GP due to weather emergency". motorsport.com.
  12. "Update on the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola". Formula One. 17 May 2023.
  13. Cleeren, Filip (17 May 2023). "Why F1's condensed calendar leaves Imola 2023 return unlikely". Autosport. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  14. Tobin, Dominic (17 May 2023). "F1 calls off Grand Prix at Imola after devastating Emilia Romagna floods". Motor Sport magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  15. "Formula 1 to donate €1m to Emilia-Romagna Region's Agency for Territorial Safety and Civil Protection". Formula One website. 19 May 2023.
  16. "Ferrari donate £870k to flooding fund after Imola race cancellation". Sky Sports. Sky UK. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
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