The Fight to keep the Emilia Romagna GP on the F1 Calendar drags on with support from the regional government, but rumors suggest their efforts could be in vain. There is talk that the F1 bosses find it difficult to justify hosting two Grands Prix in the same Country. Since the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza is already a mainstay on the calendar, that leaves Imola in jeopardy.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was quoted last month as saying, “It is increasingly difficult to have two races in the same country,” when he was asked about the uncertainty surrounding F1’s future at Imola.
Italian Grand Prix Deal Until 2031
Monza has a deal with F1 to host the Italian Grand Prix until 2031, so it makes sense to drop Imola because the contract is expiring. The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari was put back on the F1 calendar in 2020 due to COVID-related reasons and uncertainty. The promoters are working hard to make the race a permanent fixture on the calendar.
Michele De Pascale, the president of the Emilia-Romagna region, said there is a “strong interest” in keeping F1 at Imola next year, also adding he doesn’t see a problem with Italy hosting two races on the F1 calendar.
“For the institutions, it is not a question of budget. There is a strong interest in continuing. Negotiations have been underway for some time. Monza does not prevent Imola from being there,” he told The Gazette.
Flavio Siniscalsi, head of the Council of Ministers’ sports department, added, “The efforts of local and national authorities are crucial. We must encourage and strengthen inter-institutional collaboration.”
The Republic of San Marino is also involved in Imola’s bid to secure a new contract with F1. Despite being in Italy, the Imola race ran under the San Marino banner from 1981 to 2006.
This year’s race has a lot of intrigue coming into it. This is the first European race of the schedule. Oscar Piastri holds a 16-point advantage over his fellow McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, entering this race. Piastri has four wins in six races.
All eyes will be on Ferrari, as the race is on their home turf. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton need to improve their performances after finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the last race in Miami.
Ferrari is set to start introducing significant updates to its car at Imola to improve on its poor start and help Hamilton make some much-needed progress for his new team, which has been frustrating in comparison this year. Home turf is the perfect time for Ferrari to bounce back.
92,500 Spectators Per Day
The mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri, attended this year’s race opening ceremony and was excited about the potential success for this year’s event. While Ferrari will always be the biggest crowd-puller in Italy, Mercedes is also attracting more fans through the gates than expected, thanks to Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“We think the sales will exceed last year’s numbers,” he said. “We have increased the capacity to 92,500 spectators for each race day, and ticket sales are going very well.”
“To reach the city at the Imola station, which we have just renovated, some Freccia Rossa trains will stop, and 17 special regional trains have been arranged. Last year, out of 95,000 spectators present on the Sunday of the race, 27,000 came by train.”
Imola has also updated the track to help entice F1 to stay, adding three new pit boxes and a new hospitality area for fans. The hope is that a successful 2025 event will convince F1 to keep Imola on the calendar next year.
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The Fight to Keep the Emilia-Romagna GP on the F1 Calendar
The Fight to keep the Emilia Romagna GP on the F1 Calendar drags on with support from the regional government, but rumors suggest their efforts could be in vain. There is talk that the F1 bosses find it difficult to justify hosting two Grands Prix in the same Country. Since the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza is already a mainstay on the calendar, that leaves Imola in jeopardy.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was quoted last month as saying, “It is increasingly difficult to have two races in the same country,” when he was asked about the uncertainty surrounding F1’s future at Imola.
Italian Grand Prix Deal Until 2031
Monza has a deal with F1 to host the Italian Grand Prix until 2031, so it makes sense to drop Imola because the contract is expiring. The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari was put back on the F1 calendar in 2020 due to COVID-related reasons and uncertainty. The promoters are working hard to make the race a permanent fixture on the calendar.
Michele De Pascale, the president of the Emilia-Romagna region, said there is a “strong interest” in keeping F1 at Imola next year, also adding he doesn’t see a problem with Italy hosting two races on the F1 calendar.
“For the institutions, it is not a question of budget. There is a strong interest in continuing. Negotiations have been underway for some time. Monza does not prevent Imola from being there,” he told The Gazette.
Flavio Siniscalsi, head of the Council of Ministers’ sports department, added, “The efforts of local and national authorities are crucial. We must encourage and strengthen inter-institutional collaboration.”
San Marino Grand Prix
The Republic of San Marino is also involved in Imola’s bid to secure a new contract with F1. Despite being in Italy, the Imola race ran under the San Marino banner from 1981 to 2006.
This year’s race has a lot of intrigue coming into it. This is the first European race of the schedule. Oscar Piastri holds a 16-point advantage over his fellow McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, entering this race. Piastri has four wins in six races.
All eyes will be on Ferrari, as the race is on their home turf. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton need to improve their performances after finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the last race in Miami.
Ferrari is set to start introducing significant updates to its car at Imola to improve on its poor start and help Hamilton make some much-needed progress for his new team, which has been frustrating in comparison this year. Home turf is the perfect time for Ferrari to bounce back.
92,500 Spectators Per Day
The mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri, attended this year’s race opening ceremony and was excited about the potential success for this year’s event. While Ferrari will always be the biggest crowd-puller in Italy, Mercedes is also attracting more fans through the gates than expected, thanks to Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“We think the sales will exceed last year’s numbers,” he said. “We have increased the capacity to 92,500 spectators for each race day, and ticket sales are going very well.”
“To reach the city at the Imola station, which we have just renovated, some Freccia Rossa trains will stop, and 17 special regional trains have been arranged. Last year, out of 95,000 spectators present on the Sunday of the race, 27,000 came by train.”
Imola has also updated the track to help entice F1 to stay, adding three new pit boxes and a new hospitality area for fans. The hope is that a successful 2025 event will convince F1 to keep Imola on the calendar next year.
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