Unprecedented rainfall in Emilia-Romagna caused severe flooding in the region, including the area around the Imola circuit.
After crisis talks on Wednesday between F1, FIA and the local organisers and authorities, the decision was made to call off this weekend's event, so all focus could go to emergency relief for the local population.
Questions were soon raised over whether ticket holders would be eligible for a refund in the wake of the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix controversy, when fans were unable to claim a refund because officially a 'race' was held for three laps behind the safety car amid torrential rain.
But the event's organisers have moved quickly to ease any concerns, confirming that all ticket holders will be able to claim a refund. Alternatively, they can also have their 2023 tickets converted to next year's race instead.
"All buyers who have purchased tickets through the sales network and the ticketone.it purchasing platform [have] the opportunity to convert the tickets purchased with tickets for the 2024 event or alternatively an economic reimbursement," the organisers published on Imola's website, with Ticket One being the official ticketing platform of the Italian federation.
"Given the ongoing emergency in the region, the methods and timing of the refund will be announced with a subsequent communication that will be sent by e-mail in the next few days by ACI Sport, a company of the Automobile Club of Italy."
As the event was called off due to force majeure, the Imola race promoters won't have to pay FOM the agreed fee, understood to be around $20 million. That was not the case for Spa in 2021, which left it unable to issue refunds.
Promoter ACI had only signed a fresh three-deal contract extension last year, which would keep the event on the calendar until 2025.
According to its president Angelo Sticchi Damiani, it is highly likely that its contract will now simply move up and the 2023 edition will be bumped to 2026 instead, as it appears impossible to find a new date later this season.
"It is 99% [certain the race] will be recovered in 2026 following the contract extension," Sticchi Damiani told press agency LaPresse.
