Emilia Romagna GP: Ferrari donate £870k to flooding fund after Imola race cancellation

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was referred to as off on Wednesday due to heavy flooding within the northern Italy; Formula 1 personnel had been instructed to depart the observe on Tuesday afternoon earlier than occasion organisers and F1 introduced the scheduled sixth spherical of the season wouldn’t happen this weekend

Ferrari have donated £870k (€1m) to the Emilia-Romagna area’s fundraising effort after heavy flooding led to the cancellation of the Formula 1 race in Imola.

F1, together with Italian authorities, selected Wednesday that the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which had been scheduled to happen from Friday by to Sunday, wouldn’t go forward.

At least 9 individuals have been killed by flooding within the area, whereas hundreds have been evacuated from their houses, with rescue efforts going down on Thursday to attain cities and villages that had been minimize off from highways, electrical energy and cell phone service.

Ferrari, whose Maranello base lies throughout the area 50 miles north-west of Imola, have donated to the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Agency for Territorial Safety and Civil Protection.

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Craig Slater explains why this week’s Emilia Romagna GP was cancelled.

“In times of difficulty, Ferrari has always stood by its community,” stated Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.

“We wanted to provide a concrete and immediate response to the most urgent needs of the population of Emilia Romagna, which has been tried by a serious environmental disaster.

“With the coordination of the native authorities, to whom our heartfelt thanks go for his or her tireless work, this support will carry consolation and a tangible signal of the solidarity of your complete Ferrari household.”

Ferrari explained that their donation will be used “with a specific deal with tasks for environmental restoration and the administration of hydrogeological instability.”

Hamilton: We all understand safety comes first

Lewis Hamilton was among several drivers to endorse F1’s decision to call off the race, and posted a message of support via his Instagram account insisting that “security comes first”.

“Hoping everybody in Emilia Romagna is in a position to keep protected and look out for one another proper now,” the seven-time world champion wrote.

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Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton send a message of support to flood victims after the Emilia Romagna GP was cancelled.

“Thoughts are with these affected by this tragedy and the wonderful emergency companies engaged on the bottom.

“I know we all understand that safety comes first. I can’t wait to see you all at the next race.”

AlphaTauri ‘very involved’

AlphaTauri, whose manufacturing unit is in Faenza, a metropolis lower than 20km from Imola that has been hit by this bout of floods together with ones earlier within the month, expressed concern over the state of affairs.

“Scuderia AlphaTauri is very concerned about events unfolding over the past hours in Faenza and indeed in the whole Emilia-Romagna area, with flooding and heavy rain causing considerable damage,” a crew assertion stated.

“The team’s factory is currently unaffected and everything is being done to ensure the safety of our employees and their families.

“Our sympathies exit to all these affected and we proceed to monitor the state of affairs, to see what will be accomplished to assist these in want as we await additional developments.”

The cancellation of the race in Imola means F1’s unique 24-race schedule for 2023 is about to be diminished to 22, with the Chinese GP, which was slated for April, having been unable to happen due to the nation’s Covid-19 restrictions.

The Emilia Romagna GP was scheduled to be the primary of a triple-header of European races, that means the season is about to proceed in Monaco subsequent weekend, earlier than transferring on to Barcelona for the Spanish GP.