Domenicali says Imola's place on the calendar is under threat

Will Europe lose another Grand Prix in the future? Faced with the emergence of new, exotic candidates (Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, etc.), the Old Continent is struggling to resist. Next year, The Dutch Grand Prix will disappear from the calendar, While The Belgian Grand Prix will alternate every other year from 2027And this trend could continue in the coming years. Indeed, several events find themselves in a delicate situation, and in particular, Imola.

Indeed, the iconic Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which has hosted the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix since 2020, could be the next European circuit to disappear, or to switch to alternating circuits. Along with Mexico and Las Vegas, Imola is the only circuit whose contract expires in 2025 among European circuits. And with new non-European applications, the idea of ​​having two Grands Prix in the same country (Monza and Imola) in Europe is no longer really on the agenda. If Monza already extended his contract until 2031 last November, the fate of Imola is much more uncertain. And this seems to be confirmed after Stefano Domenicali's recent statements...

Towards an alternation for Imola?

"Italy has always represented and will represent in the future an important part of the F1, said the president of Formula 1 to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. It will be increasingly difficult to hold two Grands Prix in the same country because interest in F1 is growing, and this is a situation we will have to face in the coming months. It will be complicated if this situation – with Imola and Monza together on the calendar – continues for much longer. From a human point of view, it will not be easy, but I have an international role that places me in front of many requests around the world from emerging countries that can allow F1 to grow. This is an assessment that I will soon have to resolve definitively.

The Italian round, beloved by drivers and tifosi, has had a turbulent return in recent years. Since its return to the calendar in 2020 – the Covid year – after a fourteen-year absence, Imola has experienced several rainy editions, and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was even canceled in 2023 due to flooding that hit the region a few days earlier. Unfortunately, Imola is currently showing the effects of the years in terms of its infrastructure, even though work has been initiated, including the expansion of the garages and the modernization of certain facilities.

"I won't forget that Imola responded in a very difficult time, that of Covid. When it came to finding new [races], they responded immediately with the enthusiasm and capacity of an entire city.", recalls Stefano Domenicali, who hopes to find a solution to preserve this historic Formula 1 circuit. Could alternating with another European round – Spa-Francorchamps for example – be a solution?

ALSO READ > With Spa, which circuits could alternate on the Formula 1 calendar?