Emilia Romagna GP: Lewis Hamilton among F1 drivers to back cancellation of Imola race amid heavy flooding

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was cancelled on Wednesday amid heavy flooding in northern Italy; Formula 1 teams and drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, have backed the decision and offered messages of support to residents of the affected region

Formula 1 drivers and teams have backed the decision to cancel this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix amid heavy flooding in northern Italy.

A decision was taken on Wednesday by local authorities and organisers to not proceed with the event with Italy’s most severe red weather warnings in place for flooding and landslides, with other parts of the region having already been devastated.

A statement from Formula 1 cited a desire to avoid placing further pressure on local authorities and emergency services, with rescue efforts being carried out across the region.

F1 personnel and teams had begun arriving at the track, but the paddock was evacuated on Tuesday and remained off limits on Wednesday before the announcement.

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Severe floods are widespread across Italy’s Emilia Romagna region after heavy rains caused the Savio River to swell and flood the city of Cesena, where this video was filmed. Credit: Sky News

Italian officials confirmed on Wednesday morning that the flooding had killed at least five people in the wider Emilia Romagna region, while around 5,000 had been evacuated from their homes.

The decision has been met with total support by drivers and teams, who have been offering their support and well wishes to the local community on social media.

Hamilton: We all understand that safety comes first

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton posted a message via his Instagram account insisting that “safety comes first”.

“Hoping everyone in Emilia Romagna is able to stay safe and look out for each other right now,” the seven-time world champion wrote.

Lewis Hamilton sent a message of support to the people of the Emilia Romagna region

“Thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy and the amazing emergency services working on the ground.

“I know we all understand that safety comes first. I can’t wait to see you all at the next race.”

Fellow Brit Lando Norris echoed Hamilton’s sentiment.

“I love racing, but the safety of everyone else is more important,” the McLaren driver posted on Twitter. “Sorry to all the fans, we’ll be back Imola, stay safe.”

Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri also offered a message of support.

“My thoughts are with those affected by the floods in the Emilia-Romagna region,” the Australian wrote. “Sorry to all the fans that we won’t be able to compete, I look forward to my first race at Imola in the future. Stay safe!”

AlphaTauri ‘very concerned’

AlphaTauri, whose factory is in Faenza, a city less than 20km from Imola that has been hit by this bout of floods along with ones earlier in the month, expressed concern over the situation.

“Scuderia AlphaTauri is very concerned about events unfolding over the past hours in Faenza and indeed in the whole Emilia-Romagna area, with flooding and heavy rain causing considerable damage,” a team statement said.

“The team’s factory is currently unaffected and everything is being done to ensure the safety of our employees and their families.

“Our sympathies go out to all those affected and we continue to monitor the situation, to see what can be done to help those in need as we await further developments.”

Ferrari, F1’s only other Italy-based team, whose Maranello factory is also located in the Emilia Romagna region, offered their own message of support.

A team statement said: “Scuderia Ferrari fully supports the decision of Formula 1 and the FIA to cancel the Imola GP. Even though it’s our home race and therefore even more important to us, the main priority at the moment has to be the safety of all those living and working in the affected areas.”

Team principal Frederic Vasseur added: “On behalf of everyone working at Scuderia Ferrari I would like to express our deepest sympathy to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. Emilia-Romagna is our homeland and it’s heart-breaking to see what people are going through at the moment.”

Steiner: Safety is paramount

Haas boss Guenther Steiner said his team were “fully supportive” of the decision to cancel the Grand Prix.

“Our entire team’s thoughts are very much with the people affected by the flooding in the Emilia Romagna region,” Steiner said.

“Many of our track personnel having already seen for themselves the impact it’s having on the people and the area.

“We are fully supportive of Formula 1 and the FIA’s decision to not proceed with this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

“We will continue to keep the local community in mind, their on-going safety is paramount, and we express our thanks to the authorities and emergency services in the region for their tireless efforts at this challenging time.”

Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok also endorsed the decision, suggesting continuing with the event would have been a “bad move”.

“This is absolutely the right call by @F1,” Chandhok posted on Twitter. “There are much bigger issues unfolding in the area and giving the emergency services more work to do at this time would have been a bad move.”

Teams back decision | ‘Thoughts with victims’

The rest of F1’s 10 teams have also given backing to the cancellation via statements on social media.

The cancellation means that F1’s original 24-race schedule for 2023 could now be reduced to 22, with the Chinese Grand Prix, which was slated for April, having been unable to take place due to the country’s Covid-19 restrictions.

The Emilia Romagna GP was scheduled to be the first of a triple-header of European races, meaning the season is set to continue in Monaco next weekend, before moving on to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix.