F1 News
Italian Motorsport Federation wants two permanent Grands Prix in the country
- GPblog.com
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, three Grands Prix were held in Italy in 2020: Monza, Mugello and Imola. For this year there are two Italian Grands Prix on the calendar of which the first will be held this weekend at Imola. The Italian motorsport association likes this and says that the country has earned two permanent Grands Prix.
Part of the culture
In conversation with Automoto.it the motorsport federation states that next weekend's Grand Prix is the way to put Italy back on the map. Last year's race was a resounding success and that must continue to be a catalyst in attracting people to come to Italy. This year the Grand Prix will be held without an audience, with the hope that this will be different in the future. That also implies more Grands Prix at Imola in the years to come.
The motorsport association wants to show that the region, the country and Formula 1 belong together because this is a piece of Italian culture. And it is also a wonderful example of what is possible in difficult times, according to Sticchi: "Imola is a GP of hope and recovery. We need the enthusiasm that such a passionate area can give us back."
"Thanks to Imola we feel ready for the challenges ahead. It is a great satisfaction to have two GPs in Italy, ACI will do everything so that Italy can have them permanently. We have broken the block of one GP per nation in some situation, and we want it to stay that way. Italy deserves two GPs, extraordinary pages of this sport have been written in our country."
First European Grand Prix
The piece of culture, the breaking of 'one GP per country' and the recent developments makes Sticchi see Italy as the country where at least two races per year should take place. But then on a permanent basis. What helps here is that the current CEO of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicali, is Italian and he comes from Imola, which makes the upcoming race more special.
Domenicali says: "As an Italian and Imolese it is an honour that the European F1 season starts in my city. We are happy to be there as F1, to represent the extraordinary idea of giving visibility at a difficult moment. The opportunity that F1 will offer to learn about the values of our territory is extraordinary."