Emilia Romagna GP called off after flooding

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been called off this weekend because of major flooding in the region.

In addition, there was a desire not to dilute the efforts of emergency services dealing with problems across the area.

A red weather warning was issued for the region on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There has been widespread flooding across the Emilia Romagna region. At least three people have been killed and authorities have warned people to move to higher ground.

Red Bull's Alpha Tauri team, who are based in nearby Faenza, said in a statement that they were "very concerned about events unfolding over the past hours in the whole Emilia Romagna area, with flooding and heavy rain causing considerable damage".

The statement added: "The team's factory is currently unaffected and everything is being done to ensure the safety of our employees and their families."

The Ferrari factory in Maranello is just over 50 miles north-west of Imola and also in the affected region.

The track was evacuated on Tuesday as a result of the risk of flooding from the Santerno river, which runs next to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

F1 personnel were forbidden from entering the circuit on Wednesday as heavy rain had continued overnight and into the morning.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix had been scheduled to be the sixth race of the season and was the first of three events on consecutive weekends, followed by Monaco and Spain.

F1 will look at options for rescheduling the race but it is considered unlikely to make a return because of the crowded schedule.

There had been plans for a record 23-race calendar in 2023 but the cancellation of Imola means that the schedule will be reduced to 22, the same as last year.

More to follow.

• Pre-season testing schedule & 2023 car launches