Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: F1 staff advised not to travel to circuit after flooding concerns

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Kayak goes between the flooded houses in Cesena, ItalyImage source, EPA
Image caption,

Italian authorities say thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in the Emilia Romagna region

Formula 1 employees have been advised not to travel to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix circuit on Wednesday because of heavy rain in Imola.

Staff preparing for this weekend's race were ordered to leave the track on Tuesday because of risks of flooding.

The Santerno river next to the circuit is running high and the area has been given a maximum red weather warning.

Some of the facilities at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari are flooded, although the F1 paddock is not.

Commercial rights holder F1 and governing body the FIA have not yet commented on the extent of the risk to the running of the event from Friday to Sunday, but they are expected to release an update on the impact of the weather later.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is scheduled to be the sixth race of the season and is the first of three events on consecutive weekends, followed by Monaco and Spain.

The track was evacuated on Tuesday to ensure the safety of staff while there was uncertainty over whether the river would overwhelm flood mitigation systems.

Rain continued to fall overnight and into Wednesday morning as team personnel and other officials were told they could not access the track.

Car parks and parts of the area surrounding the circuit are flooded and the weather forecast is for continued rain throughout Wednesday in the run-up to the first official activities at Imola on Thursday.

Teams would normally spend Wednesday finalising preparations for a race weekend before drivers arrive at the track on Thursday for engineering briefings and media activities.

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