Explained: Why was the Emilia Romagna GP cancelled?

Sky Sports F1's Rachel Brookes gives her account of the devastating flooding around Imola, as Craig Slater goes into detail explaining why the decision to cancel the GP was made.

**Event:** Cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix due to severe flooding

**Location:** Imola, Italy

**Key Figures:**
- Rachel Brookes: Sky Sports F1 reporter
- Craig Slater: Sky Sports F1 presenter
- Stefano Domenicali: Formula 1 President and CEO

**Summary:**
- The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was canceled due to devastating flooding in the region.
- The decision was made after consultation with local authorities and Formula 1 officials.
- The safety of Formula One personnel, fans, and emergency services was the primary concern.
- The river skirting the track was unusually high, posing a safety risk.
- The cancellation was deemed the responsible and right thing to do, considering the burden it would place on local emergency services.
- The teams were unable to recover their equipment from the track due to the flooding.
- Formula 1 teams expressed their support for the decision, emphasizing the need to prioritize the well-being of the region.
- The flooding has caused significant damage and displacement in the region, with three lives lost and 5,000 people evacuated.
- Formula 1 acknowledged its responsibility to be mindful of the impact of its events on the surrounding areas.
- The cancellation highlights the importance of considering the broader context and prioritizing the safety and well-being of all involved.

[00:00.000 -> 00:02.000] I mewn i'r Imelia, i'r Imelia,
[00:02.000 -> 00:04.000] mae'r Grand Prix diwethaf Emilia Romagna a'i gyfran.
[00:04.000 -> 00:06.000] Mae'n cyflwyno'n ddiweddar, Craig Slater.
[00:06.000 -> 00:08.000] Beth gallwch chi ni ddweud am hyn?
[00:08.000 -> 00:10.000] Wel, un phenodol, ac rwy'n credu,
[00:10.000 -> 00:12.000] mae'n phenodol, ac rwy'n credu,
[00:12.000 -> 00:14.000] o'i gweithredu gan Formula 1 a'i presidente, Stefano Domenicali,
[00:14.000 -> 00:16.000] o'i gweithredu gan Formula 1 a'i presidente, Stefano Domenicali,
[00:16.000 -> 00:18.000] i'r Grand Prix.
[00:18.000 -> 00:20.000] Mae'n bodoli yn un sefyllfa flwyddo,
[00:20.000 -> 00:22.000] un sefyllfa ffasig,
[00:22.000 -> 00:24.000] ond, yn ynfwyso,
[00:24.000 -> 00:28.000] haen nhw wedi penderfynu, ar ôl cysylltu gyda'r awdurdodau locale after consulting with the local authorities in that part of Italy, that it is not safe to go ahead with this Grand Prix weekend.
[00:28.000 -> 00:34.000] The river skirts the track there, it's unusually high for this time of year.
[00:34.000 -> 00:38.000] And in terms of safety for Formula One's personnel,
[00:38.000 -> 00:41.000] for any fans who might attend the event,
[00:41.000 -> 00:45.340] and particularly I think F1 mindful that if they went ahead with this
[00:45.340 -> 00:51.180] Grand Prix, what extra burden would it put on the local authority, on the emergency services
[00:51.180 -> 00:57.140] and do they really want to do that at this time of year. So they've said it is the right
[00:57.140 -> 01:02.620] and responsible thing to do not to hold the event given the situation faced by the towns
[01:02.620 -> 01:09.320] and cities of the region, it would not be right to put further pressure on the emergency Yn ystod y sefyllfa a oedd yn cael ei wneud o ran y ddinas a'r ddinas o'r ddeg, nid oedd yn iawn i roi gwybodaeth ar y gwasanaethau a'r cyfansoddiadau ar yr amser anodd.
[01:09.320 -> 01:10.520] Iawn, yn unig.
[01:10.520 -> 01:12.400] Felly Craig, beth fydd yn digwydd nawr?
[01:12.400 -> 01:15.840] A allai'r cwmni ymlaen i'r cyfansoddiadau?
[01:15.840 -> 01:22.120] Mae'n debyg i mi fod dim lle ar y cyfnod i'r blynyddoedd
[01:22.120 -> 01:26.000] i'w gosod yn ôl y Cymru. on the calendar for this year to slot this Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix back in.
[01:26.800 -> 01:30.800] It was never an option, for example, to wait towards the end of this week
[01:30.800 -> 01:35.000] and maybe hold the race on Monday because Monaco is coming hard on the heels of it.
[01:36.000 -> 01:39.400] The potential dates that they could maybe find to reschedule it,
[01:39.400 -> 01:41.600] well, you'd have to eat into Formula 1's summer break
[01:41.600 -> 01:43.400] and there isn't any appetite to do that.
[01:43.400 -> 01:48.680] If they were to try and put it on in the autumn, in which it has, they have held a race at
[01:48.680 -> 01:55.720] this venue in the past then, you'd be looking at four or five Grand Prix consecutively,
[01:55.720 -> 01:59.440] which is an enormous burden on all the personnel there.
[01:59.440 -> 02:04.800] Incidentally, the teams still can't go to the track today to recover their kit, to take
[02:04.800 -> 02:06.000] the cars away. Mae'r tîmau'n gallu mynd i'r traeth heddiw i gofio eu cyllid, i ddod o hyd i'r cariau.
[02:06.000 -> 02:10.000] Rwy'n cofio, roedden nhw'n cael ymwneud â phosib i ddod o hyd i'r circuit diwethaf,
[02:10.000 -> 02:12.000] ac nid oeddent yn cael eu gallu i mewn yma y diwrnod hwn,
[02:12.000 -> 02:14.000] trwy'r penderfyniadau yma.
[02:14.000 -> 02:17.000] Felly, maen nhw'n y môr unig yn y peth honno,
[02:17.000 -> 02:20.000] ond mae'n mynd i fod, efallai, yn ystod y tro,
[02:20.000 -> 02:22.000] cyn i gyd i gyd i ddod i mewn i mewn,
[02:22.000 -> 02:23.000] a dod i mewn i'r garagau,
[02:23.000 -> 02:25.600] a chael y cariau'n barod i fod yn cael ei drosglwyddo i Monte Carlo.
[02:25.600 -> 02:29.280] Ac rydych chi wedi bod yn cysylltu â rhai o'r tîm, dydych chi ddim? Beth oedd eu reaction?
[02:29.280 -> 02:34.280] Mae'n hollol yn ymdrechu'n llai ar yr hyn sydd wedi'i wneud o'r Formula 1.
[02:34.280 -> 02:37.960] Mae'n deall i gyd bod mwy i fyw yna mwy i sport.
[02:37.960 -> 02:42.480] Ac rhaid i ni cofio, dyma'n tragedia i'r rhan hon o'r Italia.
[02:42.480 -> 02:46.000] Mae tri bobl wedi rhedeg eu bywydau yn y llwyddiant mor mor.
[02:46.000 -> 02:50.000] Mae 5,000 o bobl wedi rhaid i'w ffwrdd o'u cwmni.
[02:50.000 -> 02:54.000] Mae'r tîm Mercedes wedi'i ddatblygu'r adroddiad hon yn ystod y pwyntiau diwethaf.
[02:54.000 -> 02:58.000] Mae'r tîm F1 Mercedes yn cefnogi'r penderfyniad yn fwyaf o ffordd gan F1,
[02:58.000 -> 03:02.000] FIA, y cyhoeddiadau a'r awdurdodau leol
[03:02.000 -> 03:05.000] i ddim yn ymwneud â'r cyfnod cyfnodol o'r Gronpri. Mae'r ddangosbwri o bodim cymryd â'r cyflwyniad Gronpri.
[03:05.000 -> 03:09.000] Mae angen i bobl yn y region Emilia-Romagna gwella'r cyfraniad
[03:09.000 -> 03:13.000] yn ogystal â chyflwyno awdurdodau leol a gwasanaethau perthynas
[03:13.000 -> 03:17.000] i ddilynu'r gwaith anhygoel i'w helpu'r rhai sy'n angen.
[03:17.000 -> 03:21.000] Mae ein meddwl yn gyda'r rhaglenion, o'r teuluoedd a'r cymunedau
[03:21.000 -> 03:27.000] sydd wedi cael eu hysbysu gan y llwyddoedd yn y ddeg.
[03:27.000 -> 03:32.240] Mae F1 yn ystod yn ddiweddar yn cael cyfrifoldeb o fod yn ychydig yn ddiddorol i beth sy'n digwydd o gwmpas
[03:32.240 -> 03:33.240] hwnnw.
[03:33.240 -> 03:38.960] Rwy'n credu mai dyma un o'r cyfrifoldeb, mae'n ymwybodol iawn bod ymgeisyddion fwyaf
[03:38.960 -> 03:43.680] yn ymwneud â hyn, yn enwedig mewn lle fel hyn.
[03:43.680 -> 03:47.000] Mae'r ffractoria Ferrari yn un miliau o'r circuit Imola.
[03:47.000 -> 03:53.000] Alfa Tauri yw'r seilwyr ymhellach ac rhaid i'w staff ddod allan o lefyddau llwyddoedd.
[03:53.000 -> 03:55.000] Rwy'n credu eu bod yn ymddiriedol o hynny.
[03:55.000 -> 03:59.000] Dyma Stefano Domenicali, y cwmni llywodraethu F1 hefyd.
[03:59.000 -> 04:03.000] Rwy'n credu bod hwn wedi cael ei deimlo'n fawr iawn
[04:03.000 -> 04:06.040] ac rwy'n credu mai'n dda i weld bod y cymorth wedi cael ei gael yn gyflym, So I think this has been felt very deeply and I think it's good to see that the action has been taken
[04:06.600 -> 04:11.080] Quickly enough that it will make a difference. Yeah, absolutely Craig. Thanks ever so much for the update
[04:12.840 -> 04:17.040] To get more on this we can speak to our f1 reporter Rachel Brooks who is in Bologna
[04:17.840 -> 04:23.680] Rachel really good to have you with us. What's your experience been like there like many involved in f1
[04:23.680 -> 04:27.000] Are you flying back almost as soon as you've actually arrived in Italy?
[04:27.000 -> 04:35.000] We are indeed, I'm actually standing in Bologna airport at the moment. We arrived at about 11 o'clock local time this morning,
[04:35.000 -> 04:45.920] so 10 o'clock for you in the UK and we touched ground, we came in actually, as we flew into the airport, we could see how much flooding there was in the region.
[04:45.920 -> 04:47.560] And then we waited for our car,
[04:47.560 -> 04:50.080] and we were about 10, 15 minutes outside of the airport
[04:50.080 -> 04:53.120] on the motorway when we hit some stationary traffic.
[04:53.120 -> 04:55.120] And while we were sitting in the stationary traffic,
[04:55.120 -> 04:56.880] an emergency vehicle passed us,
[04:56.880 -> 04:59.480] and two of those were actually towing RIBs,
[04:59.480 -> 05:01.440] the rigid inflatable boats,
[05:01.440 -> 05:03.080] that you often see in these situations,
[05:03.080 -> 05:04.360] rescuing people from their homes.
[05:04.360 -> 05:09.000] And I think it was at that moment we realized just how bad the situation was in this region.
[05:09.000 -> 05:11.000] And there was no way the race could go ahead.
[05:11.000 -> 05:15.000] The authorities were servicing everything they can for everyone in this region right now.
[05:15.000 -> 05:19.000] And they don't need to have to worry about a Formula One race down the road and servicing that as well.
[05:19.000 -> 05:21.000] So it was absolutely the right decision.
[05:21.000 -> 05:25.000] But as we drove up the motorway, we could see how high the waters were. One of the ruggers was not far from the motorway as we drove up the motorway we could see how high the waters were.
[05:25.000 -> 05:30.000] One of the rubble was not far from the motorway as we drove along it and actually the other side of the motorway
[05:30.000 -> 05:35.000] friends of ours, people already out here for the race weekend, had posted pictures on social media of the motorway
[05:35.000 -> 05:40.000] actually being flooded itself. So I don't think I've ever seen so much water as we've understood
[05:40.000 -> 05:48.000] and it's no surprise that we had to pull it off. It's completely the right decision and we just hope everyone in the area can get to some safety
[05:48.000 -> 05:52.000] and we know that the services here are working as hard as they possibly can right now.
[05:52.000 -> 05:56.000] We're seeing some pictures of the flooding as well in the area Rachel.
[05:56.000 -> 06:01.000] From your perspective, just how severe is it? Is this like anything you've ever seen before?
[06:01.000 -> 06:05.280] It's not, it's absolutely not. I mean we had a
[06:05.280 -> 06:10.840] specific yesterday with our crew, our technical crew and our rig crew fly out earlier than
[06:10.840 -> 06:14.960] us, they arrived yesterday morning and they got to the track and started the process of
[06:14.960 -> 06:18.880] setting off for the race again. So it became evident really really quickly to them that
[06:18.880 -> 06:23.920] this was not like any race circuit before. And around 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon they
[06:23.920 -> 06:25.080] were all told to leave the
[06:25.080 -> 06:29.760] circuit. Just for safety concerns, they wanted to make sure everyone was safe. The levels
[06:29.760 -> 06:33.160] were rising at that point and they knew there was a lot more rain coming. So everyone was
[06:33.160 -> 06:36.360] told to leave the circuit and go back to their hotels. They were told to stay there last
[06:36.360 -> 06:40.520] night, not come into the circuit today until further notice. And then this morning, another
[06:40.520 -> 06:44.160] notice went out saying, don't come to the track today, we will update you at 1 o'clock.
[06:44.160 -> 06:48.640] But before that update at 1 o'clock, started to hear that you know ministers in the region
[06:48.640 -> 06:53.440] were saying we cannot hold a race this weekend we need our services elsewhere and and that's when
[06:53.440 -> 06:57.600] quite rightly it was called off. So now it's a waiting game actually for F1 teams have still
[06:57.600 -> 07:01.440] been arriving as we've been sat here at the airport we've seen Esther Norton and Red Bull
[07:01.440 -> 07:07.960] arrive and we've explained to them the situation we found on the motorway where we actually had to turn back and find a slip road and
[07:07.960 -> 07:11.560] come back because traffic is just blocked, it's not moving anywhere.
[07:11.560 -> 07:15.220] But there are people now obviously sitting waiting to go in and pack up everything and
[07:15.220 -> 07:16.220] get it to Monaco.
[07:16.220 -> 07:20.120] This is the first race in a triple header for Formula One, and this kit needs to get
[07:20.120 -> 07:21.600] to Monaco for next week's race.
[07:21.600 -> 07:28.840] So a lot of people sitting in hotels right now waiting until the rain stops for one thing and two to get in to try and dry
[07:28.840 -> 07:32.800] kit out, pack it up and send it on to Monaco. But everybody's thoughts right
[07:32.800 -> 07:35.880] now, you only need to look out of your window, everyone's thoughts are with the
[07:35.880 -> 07:39.200] people of the region and the emergency services right now just working
[07:39.200 -> 07:43.040] non-stop flat out to try and help everybody and just get everybody to
[07:43.040 -> 07:47.120] safety basically. Yeah absolutely the right thing to do. Rachel thanks so much
[07:47.120 -> 07:49.760] for joining us.
[07:43.980 -> 07:48.300] i geisio helpu pawb a gwneud pobl yn ymwneud â'u gweld.
[07:48.300 -> 07:52.220] Iawn, yn yr un peth iawn i'w wneud. Rachel, diolch yn fawr iawn am ymuno â ni.