Imola and Ayrton Senna: 31 years later, a shared legacy nearing its end. 31 years after Ayrton Senna's death at Imola, the iconic circuit faces exclusion from F1.

It has been 31 years since that May 1, 1994, in the setting of Imola, which saw F1 face one of the greatest losses in its history, if not the worst: that of Ayrton Senna. Now, on the very day of remembrance for the Brazilian champion, Imola’s farewell to F1 seems ever closer.

Imola has given to and taken from F1. For several years after the Brazilian’s death, it was removed from the calendar, only to return in 2020. The decision to bring Imola back was welcomed during the Covid period and then reconfirmed up to this season. But recent developments leave little hope for the future of the circuit.

Imola marks 31 years since Senna’s death, but also says goodbye to F1?
On the afternoon of April 30, in fact, as the motorsport world remembers the death of Roland Ratzenberger—who tragically died during that cursed 1994 weekend—F1 confirms the presence of the Mexican GP and the renewal with the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. This confirmation almost completely dashes the hopes for Imola’s renewal.

As had been announced some time ago, it was very unlikely that both Mexico and Imola would be confirmed. Not only that: the circuit in Emilia-Romagna is also at risk because Italy is currently the only country with two rounds, and to avoid overcrowding the calendar, it is unsustainable to have two GPs in the same nation.

In short, Imola’s twilight seems closer than ever. It is inevitable to reflect even more deeply on this on the very day that Imola took away a great like Ayrton Senna. At the end of May, then, could come the final chapter for the circuit that more than any other preserves Senna’s memory.

If the farewell is confirmed, Imola too will become part of a glorious past that will not return—but one that remains immortal. Just like that champion, the most beloved in the history