Formula 1 under threat as wild weather tears through Imola

An extreme weather event is wreaking havoc in Italy which could spell disaster for this weekend’s Formula 1 race around Imola.

The upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is under a serious cloud with wild weather in the region threatening to shut the race down before it even begins.

A red level weather warning was issued by the Imola Regional Weather Service, with forecasters predicting close to 300mm of rain to fall in the coming days.

Watch the Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2023 Live and ad-break free in racing on Kayo Sports Sunday May 21st 11:00PM AEST. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

While the conditions are expected to ease ahead of the weekend, it’s predicted to fall heavily on Saturday when qualifying for the race would generally take place.

The reports of the scary weather has seen calls ramp up from Formula 1 fans for the weekend to be abandoned and raced later in the calendar.

Earlier this month, two people in the Emilia-Romagna region were killed due to extreme flooding, with hundreds forced to flee their homes. A spokesperson confirmed the Imola track had not been damaged during the carnage.

Be very interesting how quickly this situation develops. If the rain turns out to be as bad as forecasted then the GP being cancelled will surely become a real possibility. #Formula1#ImolaGPhttps://t.co/bv9RwgRmtm

— Nick Golding (@NickGoldingF1E) May 15, 2023

😳 @F1@F1Media look at this it's time to say it public imola get canceld you can't run a gp in a region who this is currently the fact there more important things than you liberty media and this shows emilia romagna have bigger problems than you #CancelImolaGP2023https://t.co/GAjMCzUklO

— 🇦🇹☢ƬHΣ ΓΔШHΣΔD #Σ400 ƬΣΔΜ☢🇦🇹AA👑 (@raw1933) May 15, 2023

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has reigned supreme around Imola winning the past two races at the Italian track.

Verstappen started on pole position in 2022 and led from start to finish in what was a relatively uneventful race.

Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez was rock solid in second place, completing a perfect Grand Prix for Red Bull.

McLaren’s Lando Norris rounded out the podium but he was gifted third place when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc flew off the track late in the race.

It was a day to forget for Charles. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Red Bull have continued on their dominant ways in 2023, with 1-2 finishes happening in four out of the opening five races.

Verstappen leads the way in the championship standings with 119 points, narrowly ahead of Perez on 105.

The two-time world champion etched his name into the record books during the Miami Grand Prix as he became only the fifth man in F1 history to win a race starting from ninth on the grid.

Niki Lauda was the last man to achieve the historic feat coming way back in 1984.