Another signal has emerged suggesting that Imola may have just hosted its final Formula 1 race — at least for now.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, a native of the Emilia-Romagna region, recently admitted that with the calendar capped at 24 races, it will be "difficult" for both Imola and Monza to coexist on future schedules.
McLaren boss Zak Brown has proposed a rotation model, similar to the one already set up for Spa-Francorchamps, to help preserve historic circuits like Imola.
"I'd advocate for the elegant rotation solution here as well," Brown said at Imola last weekend. "Even if that's certainly easier said than done."
Domenicali, speaking to the New York Times, agreed that rotation is part of the plan moving forward.
"We want to keep two or three rotational slots, no more," he said. "But that's the only way to look to attract or be attractive to other places."
Still, for 2026 and beyond, Imola's chances appear slim. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Italy's automobile club, Aci, has just committed €5 million per year from 2026 to 2032 to secure Monza's place on the calendar.
By contrast, Imola has only been allocated €5.25m — and that funding was solely for the 2025 edition, already won by Max Verstappen on Sunday.
"Losing these kinds of tracks is a shame," said Verstappen after the race. "I get it from F1's side of things, of course — the new tracks that we are going to. You have to see it from a sporting side and a financial side.
"For me, personally, when I just speak about the enjoyment of driving, it's this kind of track that made me fall in love with racing in general. There were always these few tracks where you just look at the speeds, look at how difficult they are to master, the history of the sport at certain tracks.
"It's all very special and gives you a bit more emotion. It's definitely a shame for me personally, but what can I do about it?" Verstappen added.
