Authorities banned any F1 drivers from the track from Tuesday afternoon amid fears the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari cars would be submerged by the flooding Santeno River.

Rising water levels and widespread flooding triggered by extreme weather in the region subsequently led to the cancellation of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix just days before the start of the track.

Opinion: In shadow of Melbourne and Spa, F1 did the right thing with Imola

But while rising rivers did encroach on low-lying areas of the track, including the F2 paddock and F1’s television compound, the main pit lane and paddock escaped the worst of the impact.

However, with F1 tight on time to leave Imola and get ready for next weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, there is still some time pressure to push everything – especially with some Italian roads still closed, driving times may will increase.

The requirement not to enter the track was in effect throughout Wednesday, but on Thursday morning, as weather conditions eased, it was agreed that workers critical to dismantling team equipment could gain access.

This will allow any team garages, RVs and other equipment set up earlier in the week to be packed and a drive to Monaco can then be arranged.

Now that work is underway at Imola, F1 is not worried about any consequences from the cancellation of next weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

While not all team personnel made it to Italy ahead of the race, those who did before news of the cancellation broke will be returning home.

rainy morning in the yard

Photography: Erik Junius

The convoy will then have to rearrange transport arrangements to take them to Monaco, where the trucks will travel directly from Italy to the Principality of Monaco.

Monaco, which would have been the second race of an intense triple, will now be the first part of a double at the Spanish Grand Prix on June 4.

F1 is still assessing whether the Emilia Romagna GP can be rescheduled for later in the year, but the compressed nature of the calendar leaves little chance.