F1 cancelled: this weekend’s Emilia Romagna GP has been called off

Formula One has cancelled the next event of the 2023 season: the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy. It's been called off due to extreme flooding.

In a statement released this lunchtime, Formula One said: “The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region. It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.”

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali said: “It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected.”

There had been growing calls on social media for the race to be axed this week, from fans, analysts and Italian politicians, due to extremely heavy rain and major flooding leading to several fatalities is in the region, as well as residents being forced from their homes.

F1 says it hopes that by cutting the race, it’ll free up resources and emergency workers to help those affected nearby. It’s not yet clear if the race will be rescheduled for later in the busy 2023 season.

Of course, cancelled races have become somewhat commonplace in recent years due to disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, but to see an event stopped by bad weather is much rarer – showing just how serious the situation in the region currently is.