Next month’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix looks increasingly likely to be the last Formula 1 race at the Imola circuit following recent comments by the series’ CEO Stefano Domenicali.
He pointed out F1 is unlikely to be able to sustain two races per season in his native Italy in future seasons.“Italy has always been and will be an important part of Formula 1,” Domenicali told Italian radio channel RAI.
“It will be increasingly difficult to have two races in the same country because interest in F1 is growing and it’s a situation we will have to deal with in the coming months,” added Domenicali, who was born in Imola. “It’s hard for this situation with Imola and Monza to continue together on the calendar for long.”
His words appear to spell the end for F1 racing at Imola. Formula One Management signed a new deal with Monza last year which will keep it on the calendar until at least 2031. Next month’s race at Imola is the last of its current contract.
The addition of a new race in Madrid on the 2026 F1 calendar means F1 will not return to one of this year’s venues unless it expands beyond its current limit of 24 rounds. The Mexican and Las Vegas rounds are also due for renewal this year.
Imola held its first world championship event in 1980 when it took over the running of the Italian Grand Prix for one year. It returned the following season in a springtime calendar slot as the host of an event named after the tiny republic of San Marino, situated 100 kilometres to the south-east of the city.
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It remained on the calendar from then until 2006, providing Ferrari’s huge number of Italian fans two opportunities per year to see their cars in action. It returned to the schedule in 2020 as F1 sought additional races in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Imola’s new race, now known as the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, has remained on the calendar since then. However the 2023 edition did not take place due to severe flooding in the area.
Other European rounds of the world championship are also feeling the effect of the pressure for places on the calendar. Zandvoort in the Netherlands will host its final grand prix next year and Spa-Francorchamps will only hold races in odd-numbered years after 2026.
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F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
15th April 2025, 18:03
There are 3 races in the US – ok Big country and important market but still 3 in 1 country.
There are 3 races in UAE (Bahrain, Qatar & Abu Dhabi) – not big country – little motorsport history just BAGS & BAGS of money.
So just be honest it has little to do with there being more than 1 race in a country or it having to be a “World” championship – it is just all about the money.
Money is that important that as result there is no race in France, there is no race in Germany, soon no race in the Netherlands and if we are lucky 1 race per 2 years in Belgium. We do race in Baku like that adds value for fans or teams.
Europe in the future might just have 5 races (Silverstone, Hungaroring, Monza, Madrid and Monaco) as not sure Austria will remain – NL is going to be gone and Spa will unlikely be able to continue paying the rising fees.
Radoye
15th April 2025, 18:32
Bahrain and Qatar are not in the UAE. Separate countries.
Greg
15th April 2025, 18:54
Bahrain, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are three different countries
Fred Fedurch
16th April 2025, 22:21
True, but you’re talking 300km from Yas Marina to Lusail, and only another 100km from Lusail to Sakhir. Distances between Miam1 and Austin and Austin and Las Vegas are 1,600km. The differences between the 3 US circuits culturally and physically are almost like different countries.
S Arkazam
15th April 2025, 18:59
I only count four races on your list ;)
anon
15th April 2025, 19:11
@f1statsfan as other posters have pointed out, Bahrain, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are separate nations – it would be as if, say, somebody claimed that the Netherlands, Belgium and France are all the same country because they happen to be in a vaguely similar geographic area.
Jere (@jerejj)
15th April 2025, 19:34
@f1statsfan Austria should be safe thanks to Red Bull.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
15th April 2025, 19:58
Imola should have been safe thanks to Domenicali.
Jere (@jerejj)
16th April 2025, 6:50
@bullfrog A different matter because location-specific bias from a person in a serious position who grew up in that given location would be viewed as something unfair & overall questionable.
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
15th April 2025, 18:45
Love the track. This absolute whales of cars can’t really race unless there’s 5 drs straights. Ross Brawns regulations were horrific.
anon
15th April 2025, 19:26
@come-on-kubica Imola was well known for being a difficult circuit to overtake other drivers at for a long time, and for sometimes producing some rather dull races too, long before the modern era.
For much of the 1980s, there were complaints that quite a few of the races were somewhat processional due to the fact that fuel consumption was high and drivers couldn’t afford to push too hard due to the risk of running out of fuel. The 1990s had some rather dull races, as did the 2000s too – when Alonso won in 2005, Renault relied on the fact that he was extremely unlikely to be overtaken to enable them to run with a damaged engine down on power and still win the race.
MichaelN
16th April 2025, 8:59
Brawn has indeed failed, but this track has been very bad for F1vracing for decades. It’s just too narrow and twisty.
Jere (@jerejj)
15th April 2025, 19:38
Imola is indeed almost certain to get left out of next season’s GP calendar, but what happens beyond next season is open for the time being.
For that matter, the part about holding two GPs in the same country becoming increasingly difficult equally applies to Circuit De Catalunya, meaning that bi-annual hosting at maximum is realistically its only option to remain in F1, if at all.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
16th April 2025, 8:14
They signed Madrid to host a race before the Catalunya’s contract expired, so that’s the only reason why we’re getting 2 races in spain next year. Big political push and a whole bunch of money by Madrid made it happen for 2026 instead of 2027.
Leksa (@leksa)
15th April 2025, 19:58
Yay, can’t wait for more street tracks.
NOT.
BenjaminS (@benihana)
15th April 2025, 20:35
Why can he not be transparent and honest and say some other country has more cash than Italy? I mean we all know that this guy is part of a company in it for just making money, and is not at all interested in the sport if we can call it that anymore. This 2025 season is just a passing interest for me when I read silliness like this. You can do better Stefano.
Chris Horton
15th April 2025, 20:36
A beautiful historic circuit bound to be replaced by a concrete lined generic soul-less street circuit in a ‘destination city’.
I hate to say it, but F1 and me are slowly moving apart. I care less about it all the time. That makes me sad.
rsp123 (@rsp123)
17th April 2025, 0:47
+1
Gavin Campbell
15th April 2025, 23:03
I mean ouch – no Imola, no Zandvoort, Spa every other year….
Already no race in France (the literal home of Grand Prix racing!), none in Germany despite the Manufacturers (Mercedes and Audi) and multiple World Champs.
All to race in another car park located near to some local monument that got into racing cause Netflix did a show.
Short termism at its finest – Liberties early running was to bring back a lot of European classics. The Ferrari boss just purely chasing next seasons dollar rather than having an actual plan. Poor
anon
16th April 2025, 6:57
Gavin Campbell, and yet, for all that people say that there should be a race in France, where exactly are they supposed to race when those same fans pour scorn on the venues that are used?
We had Magny-Cours, and everyone moaned that the races there were dull and processional and that we should go back to using Paul Ricard instead. Those people then got their wish when the races switched back to Paul Ricard, but we then had moaning that the races there were dull and processional and we should go racing elsewhere.
We get the same thing every time that a race has been organised in Germany too – for all the cries that we should have a race in Germany because of heritage, or because of the manufacturers that come from there, or for whatever other reason is cited, we then have the complaints that the races there are boring and awful.
Terrion (@terrion)
16th April 2025, 7:21
The answer is obvious: Pau and Norisring
montreal95 (@montreal95)
16th April 2025, 7:56
I hope you are joking
tielemst
16th April 2025, 12:09
They’ll probably come up with a track around Disneyland Paris. God knows the car park is big enough…
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
15th April 2025, 23:41
I’ll be sad to lose Imola again as it’s always been a favourite of mine regardless of the 3 configurations that have been used in my time as a fan of F1. The only part of the current layout I dislike is the 2006 revisions to Variante Alta, I think it’s a much more clunky corner than it used to be and it was a change i’ve just never liked.
It’s just such a wonderful circuit that has a nice flow, a good amount of elevation, A wonderful backdrop and provides a nice challenge for both car and driver which all gives it a nice character and makes it a joy just to watch cars lapping around the place.
Imola was always the circuit I would boot up first as a test track whenever a new car official or user mod I wanted to try would come out for Assetto Corsa.
I honestly tend to get more enjoyment watching a duller race around Imola than I do a more action packed race on a lot of the newer circuits which just lack basically everything which I think makes Imola and a lot of the other classic venues so great and I just tend to find a lot of the newer circuits to just not be very fun to watch cars lapping.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
16th April 2025, 0:37
Yes, good job, let’s make interesting tracks disappear, let’s get rid of all the historical tracks as you’re at it, you already started with spa, let’s get rid of silverstone, monaco, monza etc. and have all races in the middle east.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
16th April 2025, 0:39
Liberty and co. have slowly ripped the soul out of F1. Domenicali disgusts me quite frankly. Does he really think no one seems through this. It’s got nothing to do with the sport or the history anymore. It’s all to do with money and wringing every last penny out of the show.
Who cares if the older European circuits disappear as long as the Middle Eastern countries or similar are handing over huge sums. There should be no more than 1 or 2 races in the gulf area and why does the U.S. need three! We know the answer. What a circus. I will admit Imola is now too narrow and doesn’t work for these modern cars but they’re only the result of even more bad decision making.
I don’t know why we bother really.
Ankita
16th April 2025, 5:18
While I see lots of disappointment, we must accept that the current generation of cars are not compatible with the traditional circuits. We all complain about leaving so many beautiful races out but we also complain about processional races. Take Suzuka as an example. But also take races in Monaco, Imola, Barcelona, Hungary, and Spa. These are races that, in the absence of rain, you are sitting watching the race hoping something exceptional will happen. The racing itself does not exist or is extremely limited. In contrast, permanent circuits that still produce great racing are in my view Spielberg, Silverstone, Montreal (sometimes), and Monza.
I’d rather have new-generation circuits with better racing. With that said, I don’t think we have those on the calendar and street circuits are not the answer.
albo94
16th April 2025, 10:05
Racing is clearly not the focus here. Otherwise, they would never ever race again in Montecarlo.
F1 is a for-profit business. They go where money is. End of the story.
The issue is when they not only move to ‘exotic’ destinations, but also race in dull, soulless tracks, like Sochi, Doha, Seul, Singapore, Miami, and Yas Marina.
Anyways, I am happy to attend the Imola GP this year. At least, I will able to say ‘I was there’.
Ferdi
16th April 2025, 6:54
If ever there was a textbook example of selling yourself to the devil it is Domenicali.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
16th April 2025, 8:06
Absolutely!