Two more Grands Prix in Italy during F1 2023. And then what?

Why does Italy host two Grand Prix?

Since 2020, two races valid for the Formula 1 World Championship have been held in Italy. The same thing had happened in the past from 1981 to 2006. In fact, the historic Monza circuit in these two periods was joined by Imola, which hosted first the San Marino GP and then the Emilia Romagna GP. Monza, on the other hand, has been the venue of the Italian Grand Prix since the first ever Formula 1 season (with the exception of 1980). Italy is not the only European country to have hosted two different races on their territory.

As we have said, originally in Italy only Monza was raced, but after the Second World War an autodrome was built at Imola, also thanks to the fundamental support of Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari himself strongly wished that the circuit, named after his prematurely deceased son, would host races valid for the Formula 1 championship. Bernie Ecclestone, president of FOCA, also appreciated the circuit in Emilia and would even have wanted it on the calendar instead of Monza. In the end, also thanks to the contribution of the San Marino Auto Federation, both races remained on the calendar, with Imola hosting the San Marino Grand Prix.

The situation remained that way until 2006 when the San Marino GP dropped off the calendar due to the extensive renovations that the Imola circuit would have to undergo. The race in Emilia only returned in 2020, when the track was included in the calendar to replace one of the races postponed due to the pandemic. The same thing happened the following year, while since the season just ended it has been firmly back on the calendar, also thanks to the intense efforts of the Emilia-Romagna Region to secure the Grand Prix on its territory.

And now?

Let's immediately (relatively) reassure fans, especially Italian ones: both Monza and Imola have a contract signed with Liberty Media until 2025, so there will still be at least three editions of the Italian GP and the Emilia-Romagna GP. However, Imola was again not chosen to host one of the sprint races on the calendar next year. The two events attracted large crowds last season, and the prospects are the same for the upcoming season.

The Formula 1 calendar, however, has been changing a lot in recent years. By now it has reached what is believed to be the maximum number of races that drivers and teams can support in the course of a single season, but at the same time more and more circuits are applying to host new races valid for the world championship. This presents Liberty Media with options, which in an increasingly global F1 sport often point towards new, more lucrative markets. We have already seen how in the space of a few years the French and German GPs disappeared, while the races in the USA became three and Qatar also landed.

The future after 2025 is therefore far from certain. Given that it is very unlikely that Italy will lose both of the races, it is possible that one of them will have to make room on the calendar for a new event. In the meantime, however, there is talk of the possibility of running two GPs in Spain, and that would be a counter-trend, a positive sign for motorsport in Europe, including Italy. The fate of the two Italian GPs, therefore, remains to be decided.