AlphaTauri ‘very concerned’ with events as Imola F1 race cancelled

The AlphaTauri team have issued a statement expressing their concern after the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was confirmed by Formula 1.

The Emilia-Romagna region of Italy has been battered by powerful winds and heavy rain over recent weeks, with two people known to have died and hundreds being forced to evacuate their homes.

The poor weather interrupted preparations for the sixth round of the 2023 season this weekend, with the paddock rendered a no-go area on Tuesday and Wednesday after F1 personnel were evacuated as a precautionary measure on the Tuesday.

Members of the Alpine team were evacuated from their hotel, with AlphaTauri staff staying at the team’s factory in nearby Faenza.

With the race formally cancelled on Wednesday afternoon, the Red Bull sister team offered their sympathies to those affected via a short statement.

It read: “Scuderia AlphaTauri is very concerned about events unfolding over the past hours in Faenza and indeed in the whole Emilia-Romagna area, with flooding and heavy rain causing considerable damage.

“The team’s factory is currently unaffected and everything is being done to ensure the safety of our employees and their families.

“Our sympathies go out to all those affected.”

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An official F1 statement read: “The Formula 1 community wants to send its thoughts to the people and communities affected by the recent events in the Emilia-Romagna region.

“We also want to pay tribute to the work of the emergency services who are doing everything they can to help those in need.

“Following discussions between Formula 1, the President of the FIA, the competent authorities – including the relevant Ministers, the President of the Automobile Club of Italy, the President of Emilia-Romagna Region, the Mayor of the City and the promoter – the decision has been taken not to proceed with the Grand Prix weekend at Imola.

“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.

“It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.”

Stefano Domenicali, the Formula 1 chief executive, said: “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.

“The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation.”

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “My thoughts and those of the entire FIA family are with those affected by the terrible situation in the Emilia Romagna region.

“The safety of everyone involved and recovery efforts are the top priority at this time.”