The floods that forced the cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola this weekend could have a knock-on effect, with next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix potentially in doubt.
The cancellation of this weekend's race was confirmed on Wednesday, with floods leaving parts of the paddock underwater. More heavy rain is expected in the coming days, with the extensive Formula One operation needing to arrive in Monaco next week.
The 20 F1 teams will need to transport their equipment and staff to Monaco, with a 217 mile trip to the principality on the French Riviera to be made in the coming days amid continued disruption. The difficulties of the situation have been revealed by members of the F1 paddock, with Formula 2 director of operations, Marco Codello highlighting the problems amid continued disruption.
"Formula 2 and Formula 3 need two days to prepare, Formula 1 needs a little longer," he said. "I hope the situation will improve and we will be able to leave Imola on Thursday, but there is no exact plan yet. Perhaps we will stay here and go straight to Monaco, where we should be on Monday evening.
"I imagine that Bologna airport will not only be flooded with water, but also filled with people who want to go home. But there aren't many flights, so the only thing we can do right now is to stay calm," Codello added. "The emergency applies to everyone."
Monaco cannot be postponed to a later date, with the streets of the city closed specifically for one weekend of the year to host F1, F2 and F3. This adds extra pressure in the scramble to transport the roadshow over the border to France.
The Spanish Grand Prix is scheduled to take place a week after Monaco, with the expectation being that this weekend would have been the first of a triple-header. However, the race at Imola is now unlikely to take place at all this year, with a record 23 rounds on the calendar and limited opportunities to reschedule.
Imola has become a popular addition to the F1 calendar since its return in 2020 after being removed from the schedule in 2007. Rain has affected races at the track in the past but current circumstances are beyond ordinary rainfall.
The sport has expressed its best wishes to the people of northern Italy, with many areas remaining underwater and people becoming displaced from their homes.
F1 president and chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali said on Wednesday: "It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected.
"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."
