This weekend's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in northern Italy has been cancelled due to deadly floods.
Formula 1 personnel had earlier been told to stay away from the track after floods affected large parts of the Emilia-Romagna region. Some residents of the nearby city of Imola were warned to move to higher floors of their homes. The Santerno River runs right next to the track.
It is the second race on the 2023 calendar to be cancelled. The Chinese Grand Prix was scheduled for April but was cancelled in December amid concerns about pandemic-related restrictions.
"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," F1 boss Stefano Domenicali said in a statement on Wednesday night AEST.
"I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation – they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud of them.
"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."
"My thoughts and those of the entire FIA family are with those affected by the terrible situation in the Emilia-Romagna region. The safety of everyone involved and recovery efforts are the top priority at this time," FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added.
MORE TO COME
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