F1 association warns Italian Grands Prix at risk beyond 2025
Mar.23 - Italy might struggle to hang onto both of its annual grands prix beyond 2025, the country's automobile association chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani has warned.
Currently, the historic circuits at Monza and Imola are both on the annual Formula 1 calendar, with Italian GP host Monza in particular now scrambling to make circuit improvements in order to secure a new deal.
"We have to keep up with F1," Damiani said, "and to do so we must evolve. The challenge is to go beyond 2025, but we must have what it takes to do so.
"We invested 44 million last year, which went very well, but we still lost some money because of the very high running costs, regardless of the grand prix.
"Now our budget is starting to run into difficulties. We can't be left alone in this challenge," he insisted.
And so, despite Imola and Monza having deals through 2025, Sticchi Damiani admits the current situation of two races in Italy is unlikely to remain permanent.
"We worked a miracle to have two races until 2025," he said, "but you'd have to be very optimistic to think it will stay beyond that date.
"What we have to demonstrate to Stefano Domenicali and to F1 is that we are proceeding with seriousness. But it's not easy to negotiate because requests to organise a grand prix are arriving in F1 from all over the world."
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The risk of losing Monza beyond the current deal has existed for some time already & while losing a circuit like the Monza Autodrome would be a shame, F1 would survive without it.
Germany and France are gone. Italy, Belgium and Monaco under pressure. Soon we will have the Sandland Championship with US glitz to provide the go-go girls. When they come for 'stone, that will be the end. Pink Floyd had it right.....give me money.
Monaco will stay.
"There'll Always Be an England" and SS wasn't even invented then as a racetrack, Vera had it right..........
Don't think Monza will be axed, its one of the legendary ones. It only missed out the F1 calender once, in 1980 because of renovation works.
Never say never. Things have changed, so legendary status alone is insufficient in modern times.
Well I don't know how long you are following F1, but Monza is always a lot of contract drama and always has got it fixed. There are no modern times. It's has always been about money and it will always be about money. Don't forget Ferrari is still the most important brand in F1.
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