Domenicali realistic over Imola’s fading F1 prospects

Stefano Domenicali says he accepts that Imola is no longer part of Formula 1’s calendar, even if it is the region where he was born.

The F1 CEO told Gianluca Gazzoli’s The BSMT podcast that history alone is no longer enough to secure a race.

"If a grand prix has this historical value, it's an extra, an added value, but it's not enough," he said.

He noted that younger fans often show little attachment to tradition. "For many young people who follow F1 today, going to race in Monte Carlo instead of the new Las Vegas circuit makes no difference to them," Domenicali explained.

Instead, he argued that promoters must modernise. "History is an asset, but it can be a limit if the conditions for development are not in place," he said, adding that rising ticket prices bring higher expectations for facilities and fan services.

A return, however, has not been ruled out, with Domenicali pointing to the concept of rotating venues.

"If Imola can put together a structured proposal, why not?" he said, but he also admitted that having two Italian races is difficult to justify.

"Imola is in a city, it lives in a fairly narrow context, it's difficult to think about development also at the level of structures and hotels because it is what it is," Domenicali said. "And now we're talking about very different levels of investment than before."