The FIA Formula 2 Championship’s fifth round of 2023 in Imola was called off Wednesday after extreme flooding hit Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, where the round was set to take place this weekend.
Officials say that five people are confirmed dead at the time of writing and as many as 5,000 have been evacuated.
The round at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari was due to support Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The announcement that the grand prix was called off came at 13:16 local time, with F2 and FIA Formula 3 following suit with their own statements a few minutes later.
“Following discussions between relevant authorities ahead of Round 5 of the 2023 FIA Formula 2 season, the decision has been taken that the race weekend will not go ahead,” the statement from Formula 2 read.
“After meetings between Formula 1, the President of the FIA and the relevant authorities including the President of the Automobile Club of Italy, President of Emilia Romagna Region, Mayor of the City and race promoters, the decision has been made to not proceed given the ongoing situation in the region.
“The decision has been taken based on the inability to stage the race weekend safely with fans in attendance and for team personnel on site. Given the circumstances, it would not be right to place further strain on local authority and emergency services at this difficult time.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, a native of Emilia-Romagna, wrote, “The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation.”
None of the championships have yet indicated whether the respective rounds would be rescheduled for later this year.
Everyone at insideF2 sends their thoughts to those affected by the floods and hopes they keep safe during this difficult time.
