Imola Mayor Marco Panieri and Emilia-Romagna regional president Michele de Pascale have issued a firm and optimistic statement following the venue’s omission from Formula 1’s 2026 calendar.
F1 confirmed its provisional 24-race schedule on Tuesday, with the new Madrid Grand Prix taking a prominent slot. However, that left no room for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, which has been a fan and driver favorite in recent years.
While the exclusion is a blow to the circuit’s ambitions to remain a mainstay in the sport, local leaders insist that the fight to bring F1 back to Imola is far from over.
In their joint statement, Mayor Panieri and President de Pascale acknowledged the disappointment but highlighted the circuit’s recent success and the value it brings to the sport, the region, and Italy as a whole:
“The provisional calendar of the Formula 1 Grand Prix for the 2026 season has been announced, from which Imola is excluded.
“This is news that we were aware of and that understandably generates questions, disappointment and a sense of bitterness on the outside, because in recent years our territory has proven to be able to host an extraordinary event with record numbers, capable of combining international prestige, promotion of Made in Italy, of the Motor Valley and concrete returns for the economic and tourist system of our land and of the entire country.
“In fact, the Grand Prix in Imola was one of the most loved and appreciated by fans and drivers, as was also forcefully demonstrated in the days following the event, and its uniqueness in the world was evident: that of uniting the race on the track with the surrounding territory, starting from a historic center to be experienced.”
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was reinstated during the pandemic in 2020 and soon re-established itself as a vital part of the calendar.
Despite a devastating flood in 2023 that forced the cancellation of that year’s race, Imola's organizers had confirmed both their readiness and budgetary support to host again in 2026.
While the calendar news marks a major setback, Panieri and de Pascale made it clear that they are not accepting this as a final decision:
“However, we want to be very clear: this news is by no means the final word.
“For the Region and the territory, the path undertaken by Imola and the Gran Premio del Made in Italy e dell'Emilia-Romagna does not end here. We are and were aware of the complexity of the dynamics linked to the calendar and the picture was very complicated from the beginning.
“The contract signed in 2021 – which few believed possible at the time – envisaged the stable return of the Gran Premio to Imola until 2025.
“As the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Municipality of Imola, among the promoting partners, we have truly done everything that could be done in this phase. We have highlighted several times, on several occasions, in different ways, to all the actors involved, the importance and strategic nature of the issue.
“We did it with transparency, clarity, maximum availability and institutional collaboration.”
The statement also underlined that Imola’s budget had included financial provisions for the 2026 race in anticipation of its return, particularly after the missed 2023 edition.
That preparation, they argue, shows the seriousness and long-term commitment of the venue.
“The Municipality of Imola had confirmed its availability for over a year and allocated the necessary resources in the budget also for 2026, as had been requested by the other institutional and sporting partners after the commitment made to recover next year the missed 2023 edition due to the dramatic flood events.
“However, this is not the time for controversy, buck-passing and resignation. Now is the time for everyone to take responsibility and resume discussions for a return to the calendar.”
With vocal support from local government and a proven track record of hosting successful events, Imola could still find its way back onto future calendars.
As the statement from Panieri and de Pascale makes clear, the circuit and its supporters are not giving up. And in the world of Formula 1 – where politics, economics, and passion often intertwine – nothing is ever truly final.
Ferrari may be preparing for one of the biggest technical resets Formula 1 has seen…
Mercedes is quietly preparing to hit the ground running under Formula 1’s all-new 2026 engine…
Audi sparked a flurry of speculation on Friday as the German manufacturer’s power unit echoed…
Formula 1 was surprised when Jody Scheckter moved from Tyrrell to Walter Wolf's brand new…
Seventeen years. Two hundred and seventy-two races. One name stitched so tightly to Team Penske…
Lando Norris has won races before. He has felt pressure before. But nothing, as he…