The Cancelled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2023

As we know by now, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was sadly cancelled this past weekend due to devastating flooding in the area. While this is disappointing to us fans, the FIA finally made a good decision that we can stand behind, as safety should always be the number one priority, for everyone at the track. Fans, staff, drivers, alike.

And while there is no on track action to discuss this week, a lot has certainly happened off track, so let’s get into it.

Impacts of the cancellation.

The calendar:

Due to the compact nature of the formula one calendar this season, there is no time in the back half of the season for the race to take place, meaning fans who had previously hoped to attend a postponed Emilia Romagna grand prix, will miss out. Well why not slot it in during summer break? Well the lead up to the summer break is frantic to say the least, and with factories and staff set to close over this period it’s really not an option. As for the back end of the season, post break, races are so compressed that if F1 tried to slot it in then, they will end up creating four, five or six consecutive race weeks. While this is an f1 fans dream, it is a driver and teams nightmare and ultimately not sustainable and poses a significant health and safety concern for drivers who are progressively becoming more and more exhausted. So unfortunately, ticket holders will have to be satisfied with a ticket refund and I think we all must accept we are down another race this season for reasons out of anyone’s control.

Mclaren’s triple crown livery

Mclaren were set to adorn a new livery for Monaco and Spain that incorporated the livery designs of three historical cars that won the 1974 Indianapolis 500, the 1984 Monaco GP and the 1995 Le Mans 24hr. However, their plans to modify the livery of Lando and Oscar’s cars in their Italian factory post Imola were thrown off course due to the cars being held captive by the raging and catastrophic flood waters. The team were forced into logistical meltdown but eventually managed to recover the cars and the rest of their equipment and the change of body work was able to take place at an external facility over the course of two days and the car is now all prepped and ready for Monaco.

Is Monaco in jeopardy?

The rumour circulating the interwebs at present is that Monaco may also be at risk of cancellation this weekend due to heavy rainfall in the region and delays in setting up the paddock due to motorhomes etc being held hostage in the flood waters of Imola.

However, this has been debunked. Afterall, its Monaco. It’s the diamond of the season. F1 and the FIA aren’t going to depart with it that quickly. There have been reports that teams were able to enter the Imola paddock earlier this week to begin disassembling their facilities and motorhomes and this will likely not have a significant impact on Monaco in the grand scheme of things.

Mother nature, however, may have other plans for the race. At present, when writing and recording this episode, the forecast for the weekend is not great, with significant rain and storms forecast for both Saturday and Sunday. And naturally, the worst rain on Sunday, set to fall right at lights out. So we may be in for a chance of a delayed race like last year, and certainly in for an interesting qualifying session, which may take this parade of a race from being boring, to shaking up the grid.

Honda are back!

Honda and Aston Martin have today officially announced that they will be joining forces and that Honda will become the official works partner for the team commencing in 2026, with a hopes of replicating the success they had with Redbull. But with the introduction of new regulations in 2026, I guess only time will tell how well the green redbull holds up.

Driver movements:

Is Lewis really considering a switch to the Scuderia?

Well the sayings money talks and put your money where your mouth is definitely come to mind when thinking about Lewis Hamilton’s possible defection to the Scuderia.

Sources suggest that Ferrari are not only letting their $75 million deal talk for them in regard to how much they want the 7-time world champion, but they are reportedly offering him the chance to overtake the legend himself, Michael Schumacher and win his 8th title.

Well the first question that springs to mind is, what about Charles and Carlos? Charles is their number one and who they have built their future around. Carlos thus far this season has outperformed Charles and deserves to be resigned and have his contract extended.

However, Ferrari do not care.

Reportedly, they want to get rid of Carlos and will not be renewing his contract in the event they successfully sign Hamilton. Additionally, they apparently want to sign Lewis so badly, they are willing to get rid of their main man Charles Leclerc. You read that correctly. In a driver swap with Mercedes.

Now this is given some wait when corroborated with earlier reports Charles was in talk with Mercedes to join them next season and leave Ferrari a year early.

However, the kink in Ferrari’s plan is that Mercedes also has some cash to splash and are reportedly matching the $75 million offer to sign on for next season and will likely give him greater input in the overall design of the car next season. A concept that he will likely appreciate more than just the promise of a possibility to beat Michael Schumacher’s record, because ultimately his decision will come down to who will get him that coveted 8th title. Ultimately, Lewis has been at Mercedes for a long time, he has relationships with the engineers and the mechanics, and I think that will way in greatly to his decision.

In short, do I see him making the switch, no, despite what his family would like. But depending on the success of the Mercedes upgrades this season, he may surprise me.