Imola: F1 should think again as 'myth' tracks disappear

F1's historic venues are struggling to write the next chapters of the sport.

Germany looks set to fall off the 2015 calendar, and other traditional hosts like France and also Imola, the former Italian venue of the annual San Marino grand prix, are no longer represented.

That is despite Imola's Enzo e Dino Ferrari track having recently secured full approval after an inspection by Charlie Whiting, circuit director Pietro Benvenuti told f1web.it.

"In June, Charlie Whiting inspected the circuit and reconfirmed a first grade licence which expires in June 2017," he revealed.

"That means (Imola) has all the technical requirements to accommodate any FIA race, including formula one," Benvenuti added.

The report, however, said there is no chance Imola will be returning to the calendar any time soon.

"It is not a problem of infrastructure, but the costs that would be incurred in hosting a grand prix," said Benvenuti.

"In the current context, no circuit is able to meet these costs without the support of political institutions or generous sponsors," he added.

"It is my belief that formula one should think again, taking into account the changed economic conditions and the risk that none of the race tracks that created the very myth of F1 will be there anymore."

See 2015 F1 calendar.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

Related topics