Emilia Romagna Grand Prix teams told to stay away from Imola in flood alert

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix remains in doubt after Formula One and the authorities in Imola told teams and personnel not to attend the circuit on Wednesday due to the risks of flooding caused by severe weather.

The sport and promoters are monitoring the situation and are now in consultation with further updates expected during the day.

The Emilia Romagna region has been placed under a red threat-level warning from the Italian authorities because of persistent heavy rain which threatens to cause flooding and landslides.

On Tuesday the F1 paddock at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari was evacuated as a precaution because of the risk of flooding from the adjacent Santerno River, which runs within metres of the paddock and is could burst its banks. A further 100mm of rain has been forecast for Wednesday.

F1 remains optimistic that the race can take place this weekend, with the rain expected to continue all week but to ease after Wednesday.

However the Grand Prix reamins in doubt despite there being no suggestion from F1 or the promoters that the race will be cancelled or postponed.

There are concerns that the arrival of upwards of 120,000 fans in Imola is far from ideal given the circumstances and with emergency services focusing elsewhere.

For the teams, who lost vital setup time on Tuesday, they have now face a further day of delay and will be up against the schedule should they be allowed to return to the paddock on Thursday.