In the shadows of Melbourne and Spa, F1 does the right thing over Imola

OPINION: For the first time since the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula 1 has cancelled an event last-minute, not including the COVID-19 calendar-shifting. But where it has in the past failed to act until it is too late, in the case of the Emilia Romagna GP the championship made a timely, morally correct call. From the ground in Italy, here’s the full story of how that decision came to be

The unease felt exactly the same. For the second time in just over three years, it was time to fly to a race that had disaster looming large around it.

But with this weekend’s 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled, the outcome for Formula 1 is very different to that dark March week down under in Australia in 2020. Then the championship had rather dithered over what to do in the face of the unfurling, horrifying, COVID-19 pandemic.

Its situation back then wasn’t as clear cut as it may have seemed to some, nor was hindsight’s somewhat smug benefit available. There was no telling, really, of just how bad things were going to get for the world over.

But the hospital horrors in China and Italy had already provided a hint of what was being spread around the world. And there had been enough time, as well as something of ‘safety in numbers’ given the NBA and some other motorsport series had already decided to start cancelling events, to stop the near-2000-total paddock personnel boarding flights.

F1 was lumped with Lewis Hamilton’s shrewd “cash is king” tag ahead of arguments playing out long into that famous Melbourne night and scenes of fans then turning up to the Albert Park track ahead of F1 practice sessions that would never take place the next day. The championship’s reputation was dented.

Just 17 months later, four useless weather update promises and over three hours came and went between the controversial ‘start’ and ‘finish’ at the 2021 Belgian GP. This is still shamefully registered as a ‘race’ in F1’s history books and etched into the minds of many fans that got soaked for nothing on that day in the Ardennes.

PLUS: The critical calls that led to the memorable moment of an infamous Spa F1 weekend

And now, after five briefings regarding the developing situation had not been followed by any call over whether this weekend’s Imola planned race would go ahead or not following devastating heavy rain and flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region, once again plenty of the paddock headed to the airport. By the time many had landed, that situation had changed – the event was off and, at the time of writing, is unlikely to be replaced.

Source: Autosport