Will the F1 Emilia Romagna GP be rescheduled? Potential date identified after floods cause cancellation
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The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, originally set to take place this weekend, could be rescheduled after it was cancelled due to flooding in Italy.
The track - the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari - is situated in the Italian town of Imola, which has been subjected to heavy flooding in recent days.
The Santerno river is located close to the track, and the area is under a maximum red weather warning for flooding and landslides. At least three people have been killed, per BBC Sport, and authorities have advised people to move to higher ground.
On Tuesday, F1 asked team personnel to leave the paddock area as a precaution, with areas around the track - but not the paddock itself - already subjected to flooding.
With the heavy rain set to continue throughout Wednesday, F1 announced that the race would be cancelled due to safety fears and the general situation faced around Imola.
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F1 said in a statement: "The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the team and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region.
"It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time."
With 17 races still to get through before the season ends on November 26, F1 authorities now face the challenge over whether they can reschedule the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
But a potential new date has emerged.
Can the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix be rescheduled?
According to Italian journalist Giuliano Duchessa, a possible date to hold a rescheduled race weekend would be between August 4-6, the week after the Belgian Grand Prix.
The main issue, however, is that F1's summer break begins after the race at Spa-Francorchamps, and runs until August 25.
Sky Sports' Craig Slater reports that there is 'no appetite' among the authorities to cut short the summer break, given the already congested 22-race season.
Should a race take place on August 6, it would mean a run of four races over five weeks prior to the break. Meanwhile, if they were to add the Grand Prix during the spare week in October, it would result in five consecutive weeks of racing - something Slater describes as 'unworkable'.
If it isn't rescheduled, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix would be added to the list of cancelled races.
They include the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which was red-flagged after just two laps due to rain and not restarted. The 2011 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix was called off due to anti-government protests, and the 1985 Belgian Grand Prix was stopped mid-weekend after new track tarmac laid specifically for the race broke away.
