After a canceled edition due to flooding, Imola is preparing to host the first Italian race of 2024. However, negotiations on the renewal of the Imola circuit seem to be getting more complicated.
The Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2020 during the pandemic. It was a choice made to increase the already limited number of races held in that year. It was an Italian success, as there were three races held in the beautiful country that season. The historic circuit impressed the drivers, prompting efforts to keep the track until 2025. One year away from the deadline and after a canceled edition, the organizers of the Imola Grand Prix are working on the renewal, although negotiations seem to be complicating.
A few days ago, the president of the ACI (Automobile Club d’Italia), Angelo Sticchi Damiani, revised the terms of the negotiations. It seems that the ACI has chosen to negotiate the renewals of the circuits separately and not jointly with Monza. A change in the course of action that the Moto Club seems to view as a U-turn by ACI.
“Monza comes first of all,” explained Angelo Sticchi Damiani to the newspaper Il Giorno. A change that previously saw Imola and Monza within a single package of $300 million to secure the two tracks until 2030. A proposal that seems to be heading for oblivion, with Imola potentially excluded from the agreement.
“We need to close as quickly as possible for Monza, then we’ll see the rest,” said Sticchi Damiani. “Ideally, we need to try to secure a ten-year renewal,” as Silverstone recently did in the UK. “There is willingness on Stefano Domenicali‘s part,” reported the head of ACI to Il Giorno.
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It seems that the ACI wants to step back from the negotiations, with the organizers of the Imola Grand Prix seeing a negotiation without the ACI as impossible. According to initial estimates, about $25 million per year would be needed to keep the Circus in Imola. This amount is primarily covered by the government, partly by the Emilia-Romagna region, and ACI for tickets. What to expect now? For the moment, the ball is in the court of politics, which could take a position on the renewal of the track. The Moto Club has also expressed opposition to ACI’s actions, as Sticchi Damiani’s comments are “statements that we don’t like.”
Source: f1ingenerale
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