How Imola race cancellation impacts Ferrari and Mercedes' F1 development plans

There are moments when Formula 1 must yield to exceptional circumstances. Any sporting event is a gathering that brings together thousands of people united by their passion for the sport, eager to experience moments of carefreeness and, ideally, joy.

All of these assumptions have been swept away by the tremendous flood that hit the Emilia Romagna region, inevitably leading to the cancellation of the Imola Grand Prix. The images coming from the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit left little hope, even though the weather conditions would improve.

Even before considering the moral aspect, the potential holding of the sixth round of the 2023 Formula One season would have been conditioned by enormous logistical problems, due to the already complex accessibility of the circuit for fans and personnel. For once, the FIA, Liberty Media, teams, and organizers recognized that the safe conduct of the sporting event could not be guaranteed.

This time, the imperative dictated by business, “the show must go on,” was not applied, and the engines, rightly so, will remain silent on the circuit located along the banks of the Santerno River, whose flooding erased the preparations for the event. It is a harsh blow for the organizers and the entire district, who will probably have to bid farewell to the 2023 Imola race.

The hope is that the catastrophic effects caused by the flood will not be exploited in an attempt to question the infrastructure of a facility that has undergone significant changes over the years in order to comply with the stringent directives of the FIA and return to the F1 calendar.

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F1/Imola: The sporting effects of the race cancellation
Three decades ago, fans were deeply struck when a journalist, following Ayrton Senna’s death, stated that sometimes reporting on sports is a muddy exercise in the face of clearly disheartening human events. And today is precisely one of those days when thinking about the sporting aspect is objectively difficult. For the teams, the logistical management of the failed back-to-back events with the Monaco race will involve rescheduling the transfer as soon as the surrounding infrastructure allows for the transportation of materials to the circuit in the Principality.

The early announcement of the Grand Prix cancellation and the more favorable weather forecasts in the coming days will allow the team crews to proceed with the dismantling of the structures that were set up well in advance, and then await the green light for the transfer of the equipment to the French Riviera. From a technical perspective, the start of the European season was highly anticipated. This is because the Italian track was scheduled to host the debut of several substantial updates to the cars, in a desperate attempt to narrow the gap with the impressive Red Bull RB19 car.

Considering that the next race is unique in its kind, it will provide very little reliable information about the balance of power on the track. For this reason, it is highly likely that the teams that had planned the introduction of some updates will postpone the modifications to their cars to the Spanish round at Montmelò, as explained by F1 expert Roberto Cecere for FUnoanalisitecnica.

The Iberian circuit has historically revealed the qualities of the cars and the effectiveness of the updates implemented by the teams. It is therefore plausible that the Ferrari team will shift its development plan, divided into progressive steps, starting from the race at the “Circuit de Catalunya” scheduled for June 4th.

Even Mercedes was supposed to unveil some of the new features of the W14 in Imola. At this point, it remains to be seen whether the all-black car’s B-spec will debut on the not-so-indicative Monaco streets or, like the red car, it will wait for the Catalan track. The chances of using the new specification remain high, to begin testing the potential of a significantly redesigned car.