F1 Cancels 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix amid Heavy Rain, Flooding

There will be no Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend as a result of the rain and flooding in the Imola, Italy, region.

Formula 1 announced the decision to cancel the event Wednesday.

"The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams 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," the announcement read. "It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time."

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, added more context:

"It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected.

"I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation—they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud of them."

ESPN's Laurence Edmondson noted F1 personnel were instructed to leave the paddock area Tuesday and remain away Wednesday after Italy's Department of Civil Protection issued a red alert for flooding and landslides in the area because of the heavy rains.

Water in the nearby Santerno river was running high, and Edmondson noted there were two deaths in the area weeks ago when the region was impacted by weather.

Sunday's race was set to be the first Grand Prix since the May 7 one in Miami and the first of three consecutive weekends for the sport, followed by races in Monaco and Spain.

This means Red Bull will have to wait to build its momentum after winning each of the first five races of the season. Two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen has won three of the races, while teammate Sergio Pérez has won two.

As a result, the team is already 122 points clear of second-place Aston Martin in the constructor standings. Verstappen leads the individual driver standings and is 14 points ahead of Pérez.

The standings leader is coming off an impressive performance in Miami that saw him go from ninth place on the grid after a disappointing qualifying effort to his third win of the year.