Imola [Italy], May 17 : The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been called off amid heavy flooding in northern Italy, Formula 1 announced on Wednesday.
"The Formula 1 community wants to send its thoughts to the people and communities affected by the recent events in the Emilia-Romagna region. We also want to pay tribute to the work of the emergency services who are doing everything they can to help those in need," Formula 1 said in a statement on Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/F1/status/1658793544918679553
"Following discussions between Formula 1, the President of the FIA, the competent authorities - including the relevant Ministers, the President of the Automobile Club of Italy, the President of Emilia-Romagna Region, the Mayor of the City and the promoter - the decision has been taken not to proceed with the Grand Prix weekend at Imola," the statement further read.
"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," Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said in an official statement released by F1.
The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region. It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.
"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," he added.
"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 said.
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