Towards a return of Imola to the calendar?

After the terrible accident at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix held at Monza, which resulted in the death of Ronnie Peterson, the Dino e Enzo Ferrari circuit signed a contract for the organization of a Grand Prix. Thus, after a non-championship race in 1979 titled “Dino Ferrari Grand Prix” in homage to the late son of the Commendatore, Imola hosted the only Italian Grand Prix not held at Monza, in 1980. The race, won by Nelson Piquet, was marked by a spectacular crash of Gilles Villeneuve after a tire blowout in the corner before Tosa, which today bears his name.

The following year, as Monza rejoined the calendar as host of the Italian Grand Prix, the Grand Prix held in Imola was forced to adopt the name of the small republic of San Marino, located just a few dozen kilometers from the circuit.

A very fast circuit, Imola quickly raised concerns about its safety, particularly regarding the infamous Tamburello corner and its wall that became notoriously famous, separating the track from a stream running along the course. Nelson Piquet, Gerhard Berger, and Michele Alboreto experienced spectacular crashes there, but fortunately, without consequences. In 1994, Ayrton Senna would not have that luck at the end of a weekend where Roland Ratzenberger had lost his life in a violent off-track incident at the Villeneuve corner.

Despite significant modifications that, according to many observers, removed all appeal from the circuit even though they were necessary, Imola ultimately lost its place on the calendar starting in 2007, bowing out in 2006 with a superb victory by Michael Schumacher, who resisted Fernando Alonso at the end of the race as Alonso had done with the German the previous year. Tired of the owners’ lack of investment to elevate the circuit to modern F1 standards, the FIA put a stop to it, and Bernie Ecclestone simply remarked, “I’m sorry, but we’ve lost Imola.”

Since then, Hermann Tilke has overseen the reconstruction of the stands and the paddock. In June 2008, the circuit was approved by the FIA to host Formula One testing, simultaneously hosting numerous competitions such as the WTCC, endurance racing, and more recently the substitute meeting for GP2 Asia after the cancellation of the Bahrain event.

« Following the inspection carried out in July by Charlie Whiting, the FIA circuit safety official, the latter sent the documents confirming the extension for three years of the grade 1 homologation, valid until the end of 2014 » can be read on the circuit’s website.

Such approval means that the track is once again fit to host a Formula One Grand Prix, should it wish to do so: “We are proud to have achieved our goal, it is the irrevocable sign that we are working in the right direction,” says Walter Sciacca, the circuit director, before adding that “during the July inspection visit, Charlie Whiting did not require any significant safety intervention.”

« With the renewal of the approval, we are in a position to host a Formula One Grand Prix again, meeting all FIA requirements. […] If the economic conditions are met, we are ready to face all challenges. On the other hand, as proved by the statements in favor of Imola from a great champion like Jenson Button (read here), who we thank again, our track remains one of the most technical and spectacular circuits: winning at Imola is always something special in a driver’s career. »

And Walter Sciacca adds: « This year, we hosted all the most important automotive competitions, except for F1, but this new success achieved means that Imola is definitely back in the exclusive club of circuits that have made and continue to make the history of international motorsport. »

A return to the Dino e Enzo Ferrari circuit schedule remains, however, difficult to envisage, despite the support they might receive, as the schedule is already quite busy and Bernie Ecclestone favors non-European destinations at the expense of classic European ones.