The Imola F1 circuit is seeking a return to the race calendar after missing out on a spot on next year's schedule.
F1 confirmed its 24-race calendar for the 2026 campaign on Tuesday morning, with Madrid replacing Imola.
Imola returned to the F1 schedule in 2020 amid a season heavily impacted by Covid-19 and managed to secure its place for several more years.
While the event has disappeared from the schedule for the time being, Imola is hopeful it can be reinstated going forward.
“The provisional calendar of Formula 1 Grand Prix for the 2026 season has been announced, from which Imola is excluded,” read a statement signed by Imola mayor Marco Panieri.
“This is news we were aware of and which, understandably, generates questions, disappointment and bitterness, because in recent years our territory has demonstrated its ability to host an extraordinary event with record numbers.
“The grand prix in Imola was one of the most loved and appreciated by fans and drivers, as demonstrated in the days following the event. Its uniqueness was evident: combining the race on the track with the charm of the territory, starting from a historic center to be experienced.
“However, we want to be very clear: this news does not represent the end of the story.
“We have always been aware of the complexity of the dynamics linked to the calendar, which was complicated from the beginning. The contract signed in 2021, considered by many to be unfeasible at the time, envisaged the stable return of the grand prix to Imola until 2025.
"As the Emilia Romagna Region and the Municipality of Imola, among the promoters of the initiative, we have done everything possible.
“We have repeatedly underlined the importance and strategic nature of the issue to all the actors involved, with transparency, clarity and full availability for institutional collaboration.”
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Imola did not have a consecutive run of races after returning to the schedule in 2020, as its race in 2023 was cancelled due to devastating floods in the area.
The statement outlined it had already invested in next year's event in light of missing out on hosting the race two seasons ago.
"The territory, through the Emilia Romagna Region, the Municipality of Imola and the territorial consortium Con.Ami, had confirmed its availability for over a year and allocated the necessary resources for 2026 in the budget, as requested by the other institutional and sporting partners.
“This followed the commitment made to recover the 2023 edition, cancelled due to the dramatic flood events.
“This territory, when it makes a commitment, is used to respecting it and being ready when needed: as in 2020, when, in a world paralysed by the Covid pandemic, Imola made itself available to welcome Formula 1 in difficulty.
“This is not the time for polemics or accusations, nor for resignation. Now is the time for everyone to take responsibility and resume discussions for a return to the calendar.
“This is why, since May 26, we have asked the government and the sports authority to open an Institutional Table to precisely define the terms, methods of support and collaboration to bring the grand prix back to Imola.
“To those who live and love Imola, Emilia Romagna and this grand prix, we say that, at a time when it would be easy to give in to disappointment or controversy, it is instead the time for tenacity and constructive commitment, increasingly broad and shared.
“The game is not over and, so far, we have achieved goals that only a few years ago seemed impossible.”
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