Formula One and Ferrari to donate €1m to Emilia-Romagna Region

Formula One and Ferrari have donated €1m to the Emilia-Romagna region's fundraising effort in a bid to support the communities that were affected by the heavy flooding in the regions in Northern Italy.

Italy has been hit by heavy downpours in recent weeks which caused rivers to reach dangerous levels and triggered widespread flooding in parts of northeastern Italy. The most affected territory was the Emilia Romagna region which was due to host this weekend’s Formula One race in Imola.

With the nearby Santerno river also reaching dangerous levels by Tuesday, Formula One sat down with the Italian authorities on Wednesday to discuss about the impact the critical situation could have on the Imola race weekend.

Following the meeting, the sport made the decision to postpone the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but it has not ruled out the possibility of staging the Imola race at the later point of the season. However, the condensed nature of the 2023 F1 calendar means that it would be difficult to find a vacant spot on the schedule that would be logistically pleasing for the championship.

Ferrari, announced yesterday that they have donated to the Emilia-Romagna Region's Agency for Territorial Safety and Civil Protection. The Scuderia’s sportscar and F1 factory are located within within the region 50 miles north-west of Imola.

Following Ferrari’s announcement, Formula 1 have also revealed that it will be making an immediate €1m donation to the Emilia-Romagna Region's Agency for Territorial Safety and Civil Protection to support the communities affected by the flooding in the region.

President and CEO of Formula 1 Stefano Domenicali commented: “I was born and grew up in the marvelous lands of Emilia Romagna, a place that is living through some of the saddest moments in its history. The situation facing the communities in the region is terrible, but I know that the resilience and passion of the people in the region, like so many across Italy, will prevail through this crisis.

“We must do everything we can to support them at this difficult time and that is why we are donating to help support the relief efforts on the ground. My thoughts, on behalf of the entire Formula 1 community, are with everyone affected and we want to thank the emergency services for their incredible Work,” Domenical concluded