Why Historic Track Faces Uncertain Formula 1 Future

The Formula 1 season makes its first European stop of the season this weekend, but the paddock’s arrival at Imola simultaneously feels like a farewell.

The track in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna is under contract until the end of the season, but faces an uncertain future.

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali conceded this week it was “increasingly difficult” to continue holding two races in Italy, amid growing demand for the sport to broaden its horizons.

Along with the US, Italy is currently the only country on the calendar to host two races, with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, near Milan.

And while races in Austin, Miami and Las Vegas are among the showpiece events of the calendar, Domenicali admitted this weekend may be Formula 1’s last appearance on the banks of the Santerno River for the foreseeable future.

“Italy has always been and will be an important part of Formula 1,” he told RAI radio, Italy’s state broadcaster.

“It will be increasingly difficult to have two races in the same country because interest in Formula 1 is growing and it’s a situation we will have to deal with in the coming months,” he added.

“It’s hard for this situation with Imola and Monza to continue together on the calendar for long.”

The home of the San Marino Grand Prix between for a quarter of a century from 1981, Imola has been the stage of some epic battles but also for one of the darkest pages in Formula 1’s history.

On May 1, 1994 the legendary Ayrton Senna lost his life after slamming into the wall at the Tamburello corner at the start of the seventh lap.

The Brazilian’s fatal crash came after the track had claimed the life of Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger in qualifying the previous day.

The toll could have been even more disastrous had Ruben Barrichello not miraculously escaped unscathed from a huge crash during Friday practice.

Imola underwent significant changes in the aftermath of that tragic weekend, but dropped out of the calendar in 2006 before returning 14 years later when the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was introduced during the Covid-disrupted 2020 season.

The event was held through to 2022, but was cancelled the following year after the northern Italian region was battered by storms and floods that caused over $11billion worth of damage and displaced approximately 50,000 people.

The race returned to Imola last season, when Domenicali first warned “important issues need to be addressed” if Italy was to retain two Formula 1 Grands Prix.

Monza to remain Italy’s No1 Formula 1 track until 2031

Imola’s future is further complicated by the fact Monza signed a six-year extension to remain part of the world championship until 2031 in November last year.

Monza has been synonym with Formula 1 for almost a century and is the longest-running event on the world championship calendar.

The third oldest purpose-built racing circuit in the world after Brooklands in England and Indianapolis and the oldest in mainland Europe, the track has hosted the Italian Grand Prix since the opening edition of the Formula 1 world championship in 1950.

Like Monza, Monaco has also agreed to an extension running until 2031.

Arguably Formula 1’s most iconic race, the Principality has host a race each year since the world championship’s inception in 1950, save for 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the new six-year deal, the Monaco Grand Prix will be run in June to avoid future clashes with the Indianapolis 500. The Miami Grand Prix, meanwhile, penned a 10-year extension until 2041 earlier this month.

Formula 1 has previously indicated it could satisfy demand by staging races on a rotational basis. In January, Spa-Francorchamps, the home of the Belgian Grand Prix and one of the most historic tracks in the sport, signed a six-year extension until 2031.

The venue, however, will only feature on the calendar in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031, with another race set to replace the Belgian Grand Prix in 2028 and 2030.

Tracks haven’t rotated in and out of the calendar since Hockenheim and the Nurburgring shared hosting duties for the German Grand Prix between 2008 and 2014.

With the Nurburgring dropping out of the calendar, the race was held at Hockenheim on a biennial basis until its final edition in 2019.

The Dutch Grand Prix also reportedly held conversation with Formula 1 about the prospect of staging the event on a rotational basis, but decided to drop out of the calendar altogether once its contract runs out at the end of 2026.

Last season was contested over a record 24 races, with the number of events remaining unchanged this year.

Under the current terms of the agreement signed between Formula 1 and the teams, a maximum of 25 races per year can be held.

Those terms, however, are due to be renegotiated next year amid growing interest from a number of nations to host a Grand Prix.

Formula 1 targets expansion in Africa and Asia

Thailand, South Korea and Rwanda are all pushing to be added to the calendar.

A Thai bid is centered on a potential street race in Bangkok, with officials hoping it could join the Formula 1 calendar in 2027 or 2028.

In April last year, South Korea’s Incheon also signaled its intent to host a Grand Prix on a new street circuit, possibly as early as 2026. South Korea previously featured on the Formula 1 schedule between 2010 and 2013 at the existing Yeongam track.

The most groundbreaking proposal, however, comes from Rwanda, aiming to break new ground as the first African nation to host a Grand Prix since South Africa’s Kyalami in 1993.

A new circuit is being built outside the Rwandan capital of Kigali, but it will not be ready for another three years at least.

“We want to go to Africa, but we need to have the right investment, and the right strategic plan,” Domenicali told Motorsport in August.

“We need to have the right moment, and we need to make sure that also in that country, in that region, in that continent, there is the right welcoming, because, of course, they have other priorities.

“We need to be always very careful in making the right choices.”